RAMA (Refugee, Asylum seeker and Migrant Action)

Tell us about RAMA and what you do. 

RAMA (Refugee, Asylum seeker and Migrant Action) offers non-judgemental support to vulnerable migrants from 117 different countries living in Colchester and Tendring. 
 
We provide immigration advice, casework, community support and therapeutic activities to those who struggle to find assistance elsewhere: refugees, asylum seekers, victims of domestic abuse and people trafficking, Ukrainians and EU citizens with problems with their status post-Brexit. We help Syrian and Afghan families who have come here on official resettlement schemes, as well as those who have come independently and have been dispersed here by the Home Office.  

We offer a welcoming space for newcomers to feel safe and listened to, where everybody is treated with equal respect and kindness. We run a range of activities to help improve mental health and to build confidence in those who are traumatised by previous events, and we work with partners to organize community events to encourage integration.  

RAMA has grown considerably since its founding in Colchester in 2015: its new premises in the centre of town is a busy hub for appointments and drop-ins. Operational Lead Maria Wilby and Partnerships Coordinator Elizabeth Long number among the organisation’s twenty staff (and dozens of volunteers) and represent RAMA in numerous local networks of statutory and non-statutory groups in the city and further afield. 

What projects has Colchester City Council helped fund? 

Our first real contact with the Council came with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The city was expecting an influx of new residents, and the Council recognised our experience in helping newcomers navigate their way through procedures such as registering with health, education and employment services, as well as with bodies such as the Home Office around visa requirements.   
 
We were soon commissioned by the Council to welcome and look after all incoming Ukrainians and their hosts. This has been enormously positive, and the RAMA caseworkers paid for by the Council have worked hard to support everyone involved, and also to find new hosts where necessary. 

Did anything above the expected happen?  

The best outcome from this working relationship has been the enduring nature of Council support for RAMA. While initially focusing on the Ukrainian clients who were so much in the news, over time the support has expanded to embrace the many other nationalities we have in the city. The people sent here by the Home Office have no choice in their destination, but both the Council and the people of Colchester have proved incredibly welcoming.  

How does working with the Council help you support our communities? 

We would not be able to function as we do without the Council’s input. We are so thankful for their understanding and readiness to extend a helping hand to these vulnerable people. The benefits of stepping in before people become destitute and homeless are clear; the Council’s support for RAMA enables us to do precisely this.  
 
We liaise with several different teams, and we owe particular thanks to the wonderful Communities team and the Housing team and are also grateful to Council Leader David King for being such a champion of RAMA. We believe their advocacy on our behalf sets the tone for the kind of community we all want to see in our city: one that embraces diversity and sees ALL minority groups as deserving of compassion and support. 

Can you describe the council in one word? 

Open-minded 

RAMA Partnerships Coordinator, Elizabeth Long, said:  

“Colchester City Council should be proud of its commitment to ethical good practice… we at RAMA really count our blessings that we are lucky beneficiaries!”