Together, Spring 2026
Creating Communities of Hospitality
For too many women seeking safety – fleeing war, persecution, and gender-based violence – the journey itself is marked by danger. The continued lack of safe routes forces people onto informal routes where exploitation, trafficking, and sexual violence are tragically common (pages 8-9).
Recent proposals for asylum reform will make it even harder for refugees to rebuild their lives in the UK, placing new barriers at every stage of the process: at first arrival, when trying to access basic asylum support, when appealing flawed decisions – nearly half of which are overturned – and even after some form of leave to remain is granted. (If you’d like a refresher on the many ‘stages’ of the asylum process – and how rarely they feel linear or fair – see Together Autumn 2025). These proposals will disproportionately affect women.
At JRS UK, we see every day how quickly vulnerability deepens when people cannot work, when people are forced into destitution, and when decisions take years. Your companionship changes that story.
Last year, your support enabled over 2,000 moments of vital accompaniment for refugee friends: helping people access asylum support, secure shelter or emergency accommodation, and receive vital medical services.
This work is transformative: our caseworkers not only help people meet their urgent needs, but also ensure refugee friends understand their rights and can make informed decisions about their own lives (pages 4-5).
"I have the privilege of working with many women seeking asylum, who show the most amazing resilience. They fight on and stand up to resist the dehumanisation and injustice of the asylum system, and they are calling for change. We must stand with them." - Sophie
Take a peek inside...
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The price to pay: being a girl in South Sudan
Page 2
In Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, JRS Eastern Africa runs a protection centre for women whose lives are in danger due to gender-based violence. Among them are many young South Sudanese girls who have refused early or forced marriage. JRS, with local partners, promotes education for girls and young people.
From our kitchen: Enny's vegetable stew
Page 3
Enny’s vegetable stew is a staple of the JRS UK social drop-in. Here, she shares her recipe for a wonderfully flavourful vegetable stew.
A day in the life of a caseworker
Pages 4-5
There is never a dull moment in the life of a caseworker. Every day is varied, working with people to access asylum support, connecting them with other JRS UK teams, and arranging access to essential health services. I’m all too conscious that for every person we are able to help, there are others who we can’t help. So many people, unable to access mainstream support, housing, or employment, can be left vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Called to Freedom: the fight against modern slavery
Pages 6-7
On 8th February we celebrated the feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita. She is both patron of Sudan and of every woman, man, and child who is trafficked or suffering in modern slavery.
The impact of asylum reforms on women
Pages 8-9
The government’s latest proposals represent a further attack on the very principle of asylum. They have been billed, in a high profile Home Office document, as “Restoring order”. In fact, they are deepening cruelty, making it even harder for refugees to secure safe haven. And they will have a particularly severe impact on women seeking asylum.
Watching and waiting: a spiritual reflection
Page 10
Elizabeth Harrison, from the Jesuit Institute, reflects on the women waiting for Jesus’ resurrection: Anyone who has sat at the bedside of a loved one through a grave illness – or waited from afar to hear news, if they live far away – will understand something of how Martha and Mary feel in the gospel we hear on the fifth Sunday of Lent…
I'm running... the London Marathon!
Page 11
Carmen is one of the runnrers taking on the London Marathon to fundraise for vital services for refugees in 2026. She shares: So many of the things I take for granted, things needed for survival, can be a daily challenge for people seeking sanctuary. My brother and I knew we wanted to fundraise for refugees and the more we read about the accompaniment JRS UK offers, the more we knew this was the right opportunity for us…
Walk with women seeking sanctuary this Lent
Will you help women to access vital support as they navigate the asylum system?
Thara, like every refugee we encounter, never thought she’d have to flee her home and seek sanctuary in another country.
She came to us when she was 34 weeks pregnant, facing the prospect of giving birth without any stable accommodation. Our team helped her to access asylum support. However, she was sent to accommodation far away from her maternity care, in a building with many stairs and no lift. She was exhausted and distressed.
Our Advice and Casework Team urgently liaised with accommodation providers, and helped her to access urgent maternity care in her new area. Thara gave birth to a healthy baby boy and began working with my colleagues in JRS UK’s legal team who helped secure her refugee status and the chance to build a future here with her son.
Your support made this possible.
