Our membership encompasses community mobilisers, activists and advocates from over 30 counties of origin who are taking the lead in civil society and being active agents for change. They are women and men, of many faiths, nationalities, ethnicities, languages and backgrounds who share a deep commitment to support the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in this region.

RCOs organise many different support activities, and range in scale from small, unfunded informal groupings to constituted, funded structures. The communities they support share experience or identity, for example their language, ethnicity, nationality, gender, where they live, or a particular challenge. 

Refugees and asylum seekers are a community of shared and unique experience. They face distinct challenges arising from the reasons they had to flee their country, their journeys to safety, and from lives framed by asylum and resettlement policy. These specific experiences and challenges are not experienced by voluntary migrants or non-refugee communities.

Becoming a member

RCOs do not need to be full members to join in our activities, benefit from our support or contribute to the Collective Voice. But they need to be a full member to have a voice in how the organisation is run and to decide priorities for action.

Membership is open to community groups and organisations based in the North East region that are set up and run by people who are refugees and asylum seekers to support other refugees and asylum seekers living in the region. All members are required to support the aims, values and objectives of organisation and follow the rules of its Constitution, policies and procedures.

If you would like to find out how to become a member please contact us at info@refugeevoices.org.uk or call 07918765480. All applications for membership must first be approved by the Board of Trustees and then ratified by the general membership at an Annual General Meeting.

Our current Trustees are

• Chairperson Ramatoulie Saidykhan, of RCO Creative Minds
• Secretary Nisha Mayurathan, Steps Tees
• Treasurer Alice Mupaya, The4Cs
• Larry Amadi-Emina, IPC
• Printha Muthukumar, Tamil Cultural Society
• Sara Muzaffar, Peace of Mind North East
• Degu Tariku, Ethiopian Community in Newcastle
• Jeffreys Muguti, Tyne Social Club

Since our first Committee was elected in 2003, 53 members have served as Trustees – 26 women and 27 men from 24 countries of origin. We sincerely thank them for their valuable contribution and especially to the 10 members who have served as Chair: Amir, Dr Mohamed, Bini, Chester, Elizabeth, Mustaffa, Karen, Larry, Elham and Ramatoulie.

Former Chairpersons reunite on our 20th anniversary

Trustees are elected for 3 years. They chose which Trustee will serve as Chair. They serve the interests of the whole membership and do not represent their RCO at meetings of the Board.

‘The objects of the Association are the advancement of education and the relief of poverty, distress and sickness amongst asylum seekers and refugees in the North East of England and to that end to provide a mechanism for hearing the voice of asylum seekers and refugees by bringing together in council representatives of Refugee Communities working in the area of benefit’. From our Constitution 4th March 2023

We receive funding from Charitable Foundations that support the inclusion of disadvantaged or marginalised voices, equality, social and economic inclusion and social justice. We may occasionally take on a commission for specific piece of work where it matches our aims.

It is an honour to have been one of the Millfield House Foundation’s Strategic Partner organisations. We are very grateful for the support they have given us over 16 years.

We are grateful to all those who have funded our work, including The National Lottery Charitable Foundation, The Community Foundation for Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, Comic Relief, The Ben & Jerry Foundation, The Northern Rock Foundation, Arts Council England, Lloyds TSB Foundation, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Police & Crime Commissioners for Cleveland and for Northumbria.