Allchurches Trust is launching the Afghan Evacuees Emergency Grants Programme which will support churches and Christian charities doing their bit in response to the Afghanistan evacuee crisis.
The new grants programme will equip Christian organisations to support evacuees resettling in the UK from Afghanistan, giving them a better chance of a fresh start. Allchurches Trust funding will help to cover associated costs, as churches and charities continue to feel the financial strain of the pandemic.
As the disaster in Afghanistan unfolds, as many as 20,000 Afghan evacuees, and their families, are arriving in the UK and in need of assistance. Those being evacuated include Afghan interpreters and support staff who have risked their lives in support of British troops; they and their families have been flown safely to the UK just as the Taliban entered Kabul. Alongside government support and resettlement schemes, some churches and Christian charities, and other faith communities, have been supporting evacuees as they seek to settle in the UK.
These activities have and continue to incur resources and direct costs for churches and Christian charities at a time when they are still managing both the economic and resource effects of the pandemic, as well as the increased demand for community support post-pandemic.
Allchurches’ Trustees felt a sense of responsibility to offer additional support to Afghan evacuees, through the Christian organisations working hard to help them resettle. The Trust will provide funding to Christian organisations who can demonstrate they have the reach and capacity to support resettlement.
The Trust is one of the UK’s largest grant-making charities and awarded more than £23 million to churches, charities and communities in 2020. Its funds come from its ownership of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group.
Jeremy Noles, Head of Grants and Relationships at Allchurches Trust, said: “We have been keeping up to date with the Afghan evacuee programme and how it is impacting churches and charities, particularly given the continuing economic and resource strain of the pandemic. We feel a deep responsibility to support those working tirelessly to help resettle these vulnerable people.”
The UK government has responded to the plight of Afghan allies by offering them refuge, but many evacuees have arrived without adequate clothing, bedding, food and more. Not only this, but a chronic shortage in appropriate social housing means many families will face months in temporary accommodation, without access to employment and education, leaving their extended families behind.
To find out more and to apply to the Afghan Evacuees Emergency Grants Programme, visit: www.allchurches.co.uk/afghan-evacuees-emergency-grants
The deadline for applications is 15th December 2021.
