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Looking ahead, we must maintain our focus on safeguarding the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum as economic conditions look set to make life tougher.


The work continues Already, people in the asylum process are surviving on far less than the rates of mainstream income support; often as little as £5 a day. In many cases, they are forced to survive without cash – an issue we helped to highlight in a UK-wide report on the prepaid Azure card. And when people do receive refugee status, the journey does not end – as our report on poverty among refugees, published in conjunction with the Scottish Poverty Information Unit this October, clearly showed.


In 2011, we will join refugee agencies across the world in marking 60 years of the UN Refugee Convention. But this milestone comes in the context of cuts to many of the services that refugees and people seeking asylum depend upon – including our own.


The testaments you’ve read in this annual review show just a tiny fraction of the stories we hear every single day at Scottish Refugee Council. It’s vital that we are able to continue helping people like Shah, Silence and Wencai who have had the strength to rebuild their lives after experiencing the most terrifying threats to their and their families’ lives.


If you or your organisation are not yet a member of Scottish Refugee Council, please do take the time to become one. You can find out how on our website, www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk, or by giving our team a call on 0141 248 9799.


David Fraser, Chair, Scottish Refugee Council Board of Directors


John Wilkes, Chief Executive of Scottish Refugee Council


There were 2,535 people receiving asylum support in Scotland at the end of 2009


Our housing team have helped over 500 refugees from 40 different countries including Iran, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Sudan


During 2010 we had 37 volunteers helping us across all of our services


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