About us

About us

 

Restore, a project of Birmingham Churches Together, working with refugees and asylum seekers in Birmingham, Solihull and Smethwick.

Our vision statement is:

Restore’s vision is for a society into which all refugees and

asylum seekers are welcomed, valued and integrated.

Restore works towards that vision by:
Building relationships and equipping for integration – through befriending, group social activities and employability training.
Motivating for action – through raising awareness of refugee issues and opportunities to make a difference.
Working for change – through partnering and campaigning with others to improve systems and services that affect refugees and asylum seekers.

Restore’s work is relational. We work with refugees and asylum seekers who have fled persecution in their own countries to find safety in the UK. Our ultimate aim is that refugees belong to a new community, feel part of British society and able to contribute to community life. We recognise that for many this is a long process during which people benefit from support.

Restore was founded in 1999 by a group of churches in Birmingham, who wished to help Kosovans fleeing conflict and other asylum seekers arriving in our city due to the policy of dispersing them to be accommodated in cities across Britain. Restore was adopted by the registered charity Birmingham Churches Together (charity number 243931) in 2000. From its early days Restore has offered one-to-one befriending and raised awareness about refugee and asylum issues and other work has developed since then.

Restore is a faith-based organisation responding to the call of Jesus, who was a refugee himself as a child, to welcome the stranger.  We believe that God offers welcome and love to all, wants to see justice for refugees and asylum seekers and an end to oppression.  Restore’s work with refugees and asylum seekers is about putting faith into action. Restore works with refugees and asylum seekers of any faith or no faith.  We welcome volunteers of any faith or no faith who are happy with the Christian ethos of Restore.

 

To find out more about what Restore does, please click here to access the    Restore Annual Report 2022

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