This Refugee Week, we are sharing a series of blogs written by refugee and asylum-seeking women who are supporting other women like themselves in their local communities.

Today we are kicking off with this blog by Loraine Masiya Mponela, chairperson of the Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group (CARAG).

The arrival of Covid-19 brought various challenges to people in this country and the world over. Here at CARAG we are not spared. We needed to provide food to some of our members who by nature of things, have no access to cooking facilities or are on no support at all. The idea of cooking came up and some of the women in CARAG volunteered to render their services by cooking from their own kitchens.

Last, who is one of the people who has offered her kitchen and time to prepare the meals, said:

“Everyone needs food. I cannot sit back and relax knowing there are others who need food.”

With the help of material and financial donations from members of our local community and other funders, we quickly managed to get the #Right2AMeal project off the ground.

We set up a team of local volunteers to coordinate the delivery of meals where they are needed most. The latest to join the army of volunteers for the delivery of cooked meals is our local MP, Zarah Sultana, and her team! One member of her team told me,

“It is humbling and inspiring to see asylum seekers and refugees organising and fighting for a dignified life and we want to be a part of that by doing whatever we can to work together indefinitely. That’s what drives us to volunteer with CARAG.”

And during one of the deliveries, Zarah Tweeted:

We have received enormous support from local organisations and individuals, including messages of solidarity, like this one from Minda Burgos-Lukes, an organiser and consultant in social justice and change:

“Incredible effort from CARAG, though I am not at all surprised. CARAG has always practiced mutual aid, long before many learnt what it is during this pandemic, offering great support and care across the community and to each other.”

We are just happy that we are able to do this so no-one we are in touch with goes to bed hungry. After all, women who are seeking asylum already have enough to worry about, including but not limited to the pandemic.

We are proud to work alongside wonderful women like Loraine and the members of CARAG.

To stay updated on their work, visit their new website: www.carag.co.uk or follow them on Twitter! Loraine is also on Twitter, follow her here.

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