Notre Dame Refugee Centre

We've got our new website - and a new blog... We're moving away from Canalblog to Wordpress where (sorry - Canalblog!) it'smuch easier to upload photos, videos etc.

The new address is http://notredamerc.wordpress.com/

Please follow us there....

At last! Our new website is up and running.

Please do take a look and sign up to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too.  Lots is happening....

Karamba, who volunteers every week in the Drop-In Cafe, was looking extremely smart on Monday and had brought in a very impressive certificate. He's worked over the years with Ruth and Fiona, our ESOL  (English as a second language) co-ordinators here, and has also studied English at the Mary Ward Centre. He's a keen learner - and his tutors at Mary Ward nominated him for a prize in this year's Adult Learners' Week Awards.
The result? Recognition for all Karamba's hard work. Congratulations from everyone, Karamba!

We were lucky to have two visitors today, invited by Sister Albertine. Pat Cole and Eileen Goudie, Chair and Treasurer of the Aylesbury branch of the Catholic Women's League brought a cheque for £125, a splendid sum. It was collected at a tea party to the group after a talk last month by SisterAlbertine who apparently made a passionate and very informed presentation.

I was aware of the preparations (as Sister Albertine was carefully collecting leaflets and Annual Reports to distribute). But I had not heard just how well it had gone.  Brilliantly, apparently. "She inspired people very much," said Eileen.

Thank you so much to everyone from the group. And of course thank you to Sister Albertine, who shows such dedication by making the long journey into the centre of town twice a week to volunteer in the Drop-in Cafe.

Pictures taken by Chris - again, they speak for themselves! Such a good evening and brilliant to raise much needed funds for our advice services.  A huge thank you to everyone who walked  - and everyone who donated.  If you would like to sponsor us, there's still time if you visit the Walk web page.

A team of us from NDRC walked ten kilometres last night - completing the  7th London Legal Sponsored Walk to raise money for our advice services. The result so far: more than £3,000 of sponsorship. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to such a brilliant effort...  If you haven't yet sponsored us, there's still time if you visit the Walk web page.

It was a great evening. The weather was good and it was so fun to have a chance to see other outside the Centre (when not so pressured) - as well as walk through London (from the Strand to Hyde Park and back again) on a beautiful summer evening. The photos speak for themselves...

Father Paul gathering his thoughts in the Cafe beforehand...

 A rush to tidy up after the Monday Drop-In... and then get ready

Outside the Courts of Justice, point of departure. The T-shirts (printed with our new logo) are looking great - thank you, Chris!

Above: the team attracting some attention before we set off....

 Reaching Horseguards... nowhere near halfway... Barbara Gehrels, Fiona Tremethick and Monica Alcazar.

On, looping around the Serpentine...

 And back down across Green Park to Trafalgar Square and the Strand.  All starting to feel relieved when we reached Chancery Lane and a drink (courtesy of Allen and Overy) within sight at the Law Society.

My photos start to become rather haphazard at this point...I am sure that others have better, and we can create a gallery. But there was a quite a crush at the bar...

Great to meet up with the others who had sped ahead and reached base long before us.

Spirits were high. Father Paul telling what looks like rather a tall story...

And a final group photo... (with some of the group in the frame)... We will put up a full gallery as soon as we've collected together everyone's shots. A great day - thank you again to everyone.

Our wonderful volunteer Jean Murat has spotted news of an old friend of the Centre - Marie Louise Mbondo. Marie Louise, a receptionist in the audiology department of St Mary's Hospital, London, won an award at Imperial College Healthcare's prestigious Outstanding Service Care and Research Awards at the Waldorf Hilton on 6 April 2011.

Marie, who worked as a volunteer at NDRC, was described as "the bedrock of her department. She provides outstanding service to patients and their families, day in and day out, always with a smile on her face."

Marie's husband, Jean-Jacques, who came to NDRC as a refugee, now works for Oxfam and Christian Aid.

The date is fast approaching: on Monday 16th May, a team from NDRC will be walking the 10 km route, along with 5,000 other walkers all raising funds for much needed legal advice. Please consider sponsoring us - it's quick and easy on this web page. Encouragement from the legal profession:

"As lawyers we all know the great benefits that can derive from expert legal advice to disadvantaged people who are in difficulty. Where legal aid does not cover costs, the only recourse that poorer people have to such advice is through  the advice agencies or pro bono services. Those services are a credit to our profession. "

Linda Lee - President of the Law Society



At Home Sweet Home, a photography exhibition by  organised by Women Asylum Seekers Together at Portcullis House, Westminster (led by Natasha Walter).

So brilliant to see Esther, Herlinde and Madeleine there - and their work on display. Herlinde spoke about her experience.  

And here with her photos....

There were some star speakers - the actress Juliet Stevenson ...

And Baroness Oona King...

But for me, the stars of the show were the women we see so regularly at NDRC. 

The photos that they took were eye opening.

Esther's picture of a food parcel she received from NDRC, on the big screen

Here with the same photo on display, and other examples of her work...

Madeleine's photos include one of all her belongings (suitcases and bags).

Women Asylum Seekers Together is a self help group open to all women who have sought asylum in the UK. This photography project grew out of conversations betweenwomen in the group about their experiences as they sought asylum. These pictures - of their living conditions and lives  - are an extremely useful piece of work to help campaigners lobbying for a more humane asylum process. It was certainly good to have this event in Westminster -so close policy and decision makers.

The show is available to tour: really hope that we might be able to get it here at the Centre in time for Refugee Week this year (end of June).