Team

I have been working in the refugee & migrant sector for 18 years, in a number of roles and for a number of organisations including the Refugee Legal Centre, Asylum Aid, the Terrence Higgins Trust and Praxis Community Projects.

I am passionate about the essential work done by the voluntary refugee & migrant sector, and particularly about the current crisis in access to justice that means so few people have access to the free, competent legal advice they deserve.

I am also a firm believer in the skills and abilities of refugees and migrants to create their own change. I am excited to have been given the opportunity to lead Voices in Exile at such a critical moment for migrants in the UK, and look forward to the challenge of sustaining, nourishing and developing our work well into the future.

I have been co-ordinating and managing provision that supports people to access services and learning for 25 years in a variety of contexts and roles.

My work at Voices in Exile also includes deputising for our director, project management, fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, operational management and strategic development, and I chair the Brighton & Hove ESOL Network.

At Voices in Exile, access to justice is key, and we use an asset-based approach in all we do, working with people to identify their strengths to tackle the physical, mental and practical challenges they face. Underpinning my work is the view that education and knowledge are necessarily transformative of the ways in which individuals view themselves and others – and, crucially, how they inform power relationships and the potential for equality.

I am accredited to OISC Level 1 which provides me with a strong foundation in advising and supporting immigrants. I am particularly passionate about supporting those in need and ensuring they have access to the resources and support they need to make successful immigration applications. I have a background as a Resettlement Coordinator where I had the opportunity to work closely with individuals, families, and vulnerable people to help them navigate the settlement process.

I joined Voices in Exile in March 2024 having worked in the voluntary sector with vulnerable adults for over 20 years in Brighton and Hove. I previously worked in the debt and welfare benefits sector. As the Resettlement manager I work with the Caseworkers to help resettled refugees integrate into their new homes and communities over their first 2 years here, so that they are able to feel confident about accessing services and activities for a fulfilling life in Brighton and Hove.

I have worked for over 20 years in the voluntary sector in Brighton and Hove with Citizens Advice, Mind in Brighton and Hove and Money Advice Plus as a specialist adviser, case-worker and advocate. Much of my work has been related to welfare benefits, mental health and debt. I look forward to working more holistically with clients and feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work with refugees and migrants as Voices’ resettlement caseworker.

I have always been interested in working with refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers. This stems from my own personal experience of living in Sudan and from my family life. My dedication to improving the lives of vulnerable communities inspired me to study international development with Arabic at university. I provide generalist advice and support as well as working with long term clients as part of my casework.

I am proud to be part of the VIE team because it has given me the opportunity to work directly with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The VIE team are extremely supportive and have provided me with an incredible opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge on issues that vulnerable communities face and how I can help.

I have worked with refugee and migrant communities in the UK and Europe since 2016, first as a volunteer and more recently through various community roles in Brighton and Hove. I also recently studied a masters in Applied Anthropology and Community Arts at Goldsmiths where I gained a deeper theoretical understanding of community work and expanded my practice and skills.

My work takes a holistic and intersectional approach and is rooted in the core community work values of social justice, equality, community empowerment and collective action and learning. I am proud to be part of the team at Voices, supporting people to build connections, access services and understand their rights as they resettle into the local community.

I joined the Resettlement team in November 2024 after volunteering for the Generalist Team for a year and a half. I previously volunteered for the Red Cross Refugee Service as a student. I am committed to the rights of migrants and proud to be part of the team at Voices who provide a supportive environment enabling caseworkers to effectively and sensitively deliver for our clients.

I am the Skills and Employability Caseworker for the Resettlement team at Voices in Exile, where I have been supporting refugees and asylum seekers in their journey towards education and employment since 2023. As a qualified ESOL and languages teacher, I bring extensive experience in teaching and helping individuals improve their language skills. My background in casework enables me to provide tailored careers advice, assisting clients in exploring career paths and finding suitable employment.

I work as a generalist advice coordinator at Voices in Exile, providing holistic support. I previously worked providing similar support in Birmingham, focused around benefits, housing, access to healthcare and education and supporting those with No Recourse to Public Funds or experiencing destitution for other reasons. I am excited to continue supporting refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants in Brighton.

I joined Voices in Exile in July 2022 and prior to this I worked at The Youth Employment Hub supporting vulnerable young adults aged 16-25 years old. I have four years’ experience of managing my own caseload through my roles as a Generalist Advice Caseworker, Youth Employability Hub Work Coach and Case Manager. I am determined to tackle isolation towards the wellbeing of migrants as well as prejudices set out in the ‘hostile environment’. Supporting those with lived experience going through the asylum process, I am keen to empower others and advocate to ensure individual needs are heard.

Since working with people with no recourse to public funds, I have developed a passion for promoting the rights of people seeking asylum as well as refugees and vulnerable migrants in the UK. I enjoy raising awareness of the holistic casework we provide at Voices, collaborating with partner charities in the city. Upholding an ethos that promotes dignity, safety and justice, my style of casework is to motivate and provide others with as much choice and autonomy as possible.

I have been volunteering for ViE since February 2017 and in July 2020 was appointed to coordinate the operational side of the food bank during the Covid-19 crisis. I have previously worked on projects with refugees and internally displaced people in the Middle East and Africa, and this work inspired me to be more involved with helping people closer to home who have been forced to flee their home. At ViE, I work closely with the caseworkers and provide customised food parcels appropriate to the cultural diversity of our clients. I’ve seen the transformation in the lives of families as they’ve progressed through the support network. Regardless of where in the process a new arrival finds themselves, they are always made welcome, treated with respect and offered food if they need it.

I’m the group facilitator for the Migrant Welcome Project. My main role is to to organize trips, workshops and activities that help migrants to navigate both the practical and fun aspect of life in Brighton.

I love being part of a supportive team and enjoy collaborating with the volunteers and project coordinator as we strive to empower members and ensure that the project is group-led. My background is in education and law, and I’ve worked in both refugee advice and teaching and as a high school English teacher and department head in Beirut for 12 years.

I enjoy the informal and supportive connections that are made during the sessions, and I’ve loved watching the group members bonding and supporting each other. As well as building community and friendship, the sessions also allow everyone to practice English skills in an authentic, inclusive and safe setting. It is more than a privilege to be allowed to contribute to this project.

I joined ViE in 2022 as a volunteer.  After a career spent teaching English I was keen to transfer my skills towards teaching ESOL. In 2023 I attended  the 12 week course run by Brighton Council in teaching ESOL from absolute beginner level to Level 2. I was then in a position to take up the post of ESOL teacher to our resettlement clients. Many of our clients bring their pre-school children with them. We have two lovely child minders who enable mothers and fathers to focus on their learning in a warm and supportive environment. I also have assistance from four outstanding volunteers.

I have over 10 years’ experience as a volunteer coordinator across Brighton & Hove, and I am dedicated to cultivating the inclusive and welcoming volunteer community at Voices in Exile. We rely heavily on our volunteer base, and I strive to make each and every volunteer feel included, appreciated, and supported. I believe volunteering opportunities should be an accessible path for everyone to get involved in their local community, and support the integration of service users into the world of volunteering and the benefits that this offers to them.

I am a qualified accountant with experience working across a range of sectors.  My role at Voices in Exile involves dealing with the day-to-day finances and the management accounts of the organisation.

I have worked in administration for 15 years, and have also volunteered with local charities in Brighton. I am proud to join the ViE team who deliver vital services and give hope to vulnerable migrants and refugees, and help them to settle and thrive within our community. I look forward to supporting the charity’s clients, staff, volunteers and trustees.

I have been a Trustee since the beginning of 2018. I first had contact with the organisation 14 years ago when I was conducting research into the destitution being experienced by asylum seekers and refugees due to the invidious changes to the asylum process.

I was impressed by the pioneering work that Voices was doing to support people who had been badly let down by the system, and became a trustee to contribute to the development of the much-needed services that the organisation provides. I work as a consultant in the humanitarian sector and am based in Brighton.

I became involved with Voices in Exile back in 2009 when the charity was formally set up, and have acted as the charity’s treasurer since then. In my professional life I am a partner in a local accountancy firm specialising in small business growth and development. We work with a number of charities and community interest companies, which enables me to bring my accounting expertise to Voices.

I first became aware of Voices in Exile in 2007 when my wife volunteered for the group before it was formally constituted as a charity. I was bowled over by the amount of fantastic work that was being done to help people who are all too often marginalised and forgotten, and I wanted to help in any way I could.

I became a trustee of Voices in February 2017 after volunteering at the food bank. I am a barrister practising in social housing law. I previously worked at the Low Pay Unit campaigning for a national minimum wage. I wanted to be part of Voices to help sustain and expand its vital work.

I joined ViE as a volunteer in March 2018 and became a trustee in March 2020. I arrived in the UK as a refugee and I grew up hearing of the vital support and nurture received by my family from the voluntary sector. As a volunteer, I quickly came to appreciate the commitment, breadth of service and significant impact of the Voices in Exile family, which motivated me to become a trustee. I have a legal background and a strong instinct for sound and ethical governance, which I hope to bring to that role.

Having been Chair of Brighton and Hove Freedom from Torture Supporters’ Group since 2016, I have insight into issues that refugees face in the U.K. and have experience of fundraising for Freedom from Torture and the Red Cross.

I have a commitment to humanitarianism and awareness of the principles of humanitarian action based on the Christian faith whilst recognising the legitimacy of other faiths in this. I am currently a member of the Brighton and Hove Interfaith Contact Group. As a supporter of Safe Passage Campaigns I have been able to raise current refugee cases in both a chaplaincy and church context.

I have a keen interest in the migration and integration policy areas as well as interest and experience in developing service provision. I am currently head of the migration programme at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and was previously Social Protection Programme Manager at the Overseas Development Institute and Deputy Chief Executive at Praxis Community Projects, an organisation supporting vulnerable migrants in London, where I led the development of the ‘Challenging Exclusion’ strategy as well as its highly successful youth programme, giving a voice to young asylum seekers and young people with irregular status using participatory arts. I am an experienced trustee committed to promoting good governance.