During May 2008 we were generously invited to be guests of the Darvell Community (an anabaptist community in East Sussex) this was a really good time of relaxation & just getting to know each other better

Ten asylum seekers came on the trip to the community which warmly welcomed us into their midst. During the weekend the weather was wonderful & every evening we were able to eat in the open air with the community (as there are over 300 living at Darwell this was quite a feat of moving all of the tables & chairs etc out into the open air), we had walks in the countryside, horse & cart rides, & even managed a trip to the seaside to paddle & eat fish & chips.

www.flickr.com boaznigel’s Darvell photoset

Tags: Asylum, Destitution, Meaningful Lives, Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Every Thursday afternoon since early 2005, up to 75 people from countries such as DR Congo, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq & Iran come to St. Bride’s Church, Old Trafford, to receive food for the coming week. They are destitute asylum seekers, people who have fled persecution in their home countries & have come here to seek refuge. With their cases rejected, unable to return home, not allowed to work, with nowhere to live & no food, St. Bride’s Destitution Project provides desperately needed food for these people. As well as supplying basic food, other partners at the project provide money to cover the bus fare, toiletries, support & advice.

The Church is called to be a beacon of light, feeding the hungry & caring for those in need. We currently do not have enough funds to continue the project at the level that is necessary to help people, who have no other choice, to survive. Please help, & give us a donation.

Click here to find out more:

destitution-project-report

What can you do?

Would you consider helping the project by:

• Giving food or money
• Telling your congregation of the need
• Display BOAZ information on the church notice board
• Taking up a special offering
• Bringing a delegation to vidit the project
• Taking up a collection of food (from the food list published in the Report)

Please make cheques or charity vouchers payable to St. Bride’s P.C.C., marking it for the Destitution Project.

The project is a partnership between St. Bride’s Church (Trafford), the British Red Cross & The Boaz Trust.

Tags: Appeal, Asylum, Destitution, Food, Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Refused asylum seekers are increasingly having accessing NHS healthcare - this is despite many of them having health issues due to their treatment before, or subsequent to, their escape - this is creating a number of problems:

* denying vulnerable people the chance to identify serious & sometimes life-threatening conditions which need immediate treatment

* contributing to maternal & infant mortality by delaying or preventing access to maternity care

* condemning many children to a life without primary healthcare, inevitably resulting for some in serious illness & death

* increasing the likelihood of serious communicable diseases such as TB & HIV going undiagnosed & being transmitted - endangering public health

* removing an important source of support for women who are experiencing domestic abuse

* increase otherwise avoidable costs to the NHS resulting from late diagnosis & additional administration, & increasing avoidable admissions to hospital

* overburdening Accident & Emergency Departments both with those who should be treated (at significantly less cost) in primary care & with those who have become seriously ill because primary care was unavailable

* denying GPs their current discretion to judge how best to meet the healthcare needs of their local population

* breaching basic international human rights obligations of the UK & entrenching discrimination in the NHS

Follow this link www.ipetitions.com/petition/access?e (or click on the link in the grey Links box on the right) to sign the online petition to support vulnerable refused asylum seekers accessing NHS healthcare

Tags: Asylum, Healthcare, Medical // 1 Comment »

Monday 7th July 2008 (BOAZ Prayer Meeting)
7.30 at Harpurhey Community Church, Carrisbrook Street, Manchester M9 5UX

“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea.” (Psalm 102:17)

Please come & join us in prayer for the work of BOAZ, the BOAZworkers & the destitute Asylum Seekers with whom we work

Tags: Asylum, Events, Prayer // Add Comment »

During October 2007 BOAZ were generously invited to be guests of the Iona Community for a week - this was great time of relaxation & community when new bonds were forged

Everybody felt accepted, without reservation, by the Community & were invited to share in all aspects of community life including speaking in the Abbey services & worshipping God with traditional amharic songs (possibly the first time that this has happened!)

Click on link to see photographs of our holiday:

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www.flickr.com More of boaznigel’s photos

Tags: Asylum, Meaningful Lives // Add Comment »

This year we have organised the bi-monthly Prayer Meetings (see prayer-meetings-2.doc) to take place in our new office at Harpurhey Community Church - all meetings are at 7.30 pm & dates are as follows:

Monday 12th May

Monday 7th July

Monday 8th September

Monday 10th November

Tags: Asylum, Immigration, Prayer // Add Comment »

In addition to the Days Out – we have also recently started: Computer Classes, ESOL Classes & Cookery Lessons (in partnership with Mustard Tree)

Tags: Meaningful Lives // Add Comment »

Since our last newsletter (despite the weather!) we have had a number of BOAZ Days Out, including: a visit to an African Circus, Alderley Edge, visits to Manchester Museum & the Manchester Art Gallery

This past autumn we were generously invited to stay as guests of the Iona community, this was a wonderful opportunity for relaxation & building relationships - see separate listing for details & photographs

If you would like to help with a Day Out or would like to offer to arrange an event i.e. organized walk, museum visit etc contact the BOAZoffice

Tags: Asylum, Meaningful Lives // Add Comment »

We have now completed a number of BOAZRoadshow Presentations – although at times numbers have been small there has always been a positive feedback & response

We have now revised & updated the BOAZRoadshow (this includes a Quiz, Video, drama, a personal story by an asylum seeker & presentations on various aspects of the BOAZ work) & lasts for approximately 1 hr 15 minutes (including time for worship songs, prayers & Scripture readings) – if you would like the team come & give a presentation to your church or housegroup contact Dave or Nigel, in the office, & they will make arrangements

Tags: Asylum, Immigration, Meaningful Lives, Prayer // Add Comment »

We have a lot of other GOOD NEWS recently:

BOAZ has been involved in two marriages recently & in both cases we have previously worked with the grooms

two couples that boaz has worked with have had babies (with a third on the way!)

BOAZ has recently ‘partnered’ with Green Pastures Housing (www.greenpastureshousing.co.uk) – this a really exciting development – a relationship has built over a period of time with Pastor Pete Cunningham

This Partnership with GPH allows for real ethical investment with funds nominated for boaz the monies can be used to help finance the purchase of new properties for BOAZ: GPH pays a yearly dividend & the funds remain the property of the investor

Contact the BOAZoffice for details of this exciting investment opportunity

Tags: Asylum, News, Uncategorized // Add Comment »