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Muirhouse Community Centre
Next week sees the monthly return of our M.S.P (Colin Keir) and M.P.(Michelle Thomson) for their local Surgeries here at the Centre (writes James McGinty).
Colin starts the week on Monday 2 November from 4 – 5pm and Michelle on Friday 6 November from 10.30 -11.30 am.
For more info on both parliamentarians click go to muirhousecommunitycentre.co.uk
New PEEP group starts at West Pilton on Monday
PEEP supports parents and children to learn together, and there’s a new weekly group starting in West Pilton next week.
Join the PEEP group at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Monday from 9am – activities, singing, rhymes, snacks and much, much more!
See flyer (below) for more info or telephone 551 3194
Steeping Stones North Edinburgh
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Join us at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre
Thursday 29 October 12:30pm
RSVP:
10 Wardieburn Road, Edinburgh
Telephone 551 1632
Email: info@steppingstonesnorthedinburgh.co.uk
East meets West to talk human rights tomorrow night
It couldn’t be more topical …
Pupils from Broughton and Craigroyston High Schools will be among those taking part in a Q & A session and discussion with original ‘Glasgow Girl’ Roza Salih following the screening of the film at North Edinburgh Arts tomorrow night.
All welcome.
Minister for Europe and International Development Humza Yousaf was in Glasgow yesterday to support volunteers loading an aid lorry with urgent materials and supplies for refugees in the Balkans. The Minister praised Scots’ ‘amazing’ response to the humanitarian emergency.
The truck leaves Scotland later this week and will travel 1, 660 miles, bound for Novi Sad in the Balkans, where it will be received by the Red Cross and other NGOs working to aid refugees. It’s estimated materials and supplies will begin arriving at the regional aid hub in as little as 72 hours after departing Glasgow.
16 tonnes of warm winter clothing and ‘Soapaid’ hygiene bars have been kindly donated by the Scottish public to Glasgow The Caring City since the humanitarian crisis began. The soap can combat five of the seven main waterborne diseases.
Mr Yousaf said: “We have been overwhelmed with practical offers of support from people across Scotland who want to help alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people caught up in this humanitarian emergency. Scotland’s response has been amazing so far.
“The work of the refugee task force is well underway. Scotland stands ready to give the very best of Scottish welcomes to the refugees who are fleeing their homes and seeking protection, safety and security but we’re urging the UK Government to do more now and help those in need on mainland Europe.
“The Scottish Government has reiterated its support, making it clear to the UK Government that we will take a proportionate share of the numbers who come to the UK.”
Reverend Neil Galbraith from Glasgow The Caring City said: “Structuring a humanitarian response which meets the needs of people fleeing the most distressing circumstances of violence and conflict, is a skilled and professional tasks. Glasgow the Caring City charity leads from the front at times such as this. We are the conduit between the goodwill of the people of Scotland and those seeking refuge in times of crisis.
“Our people on the ground in Serbia and senior staff in Scotland are coordinating an aid distribution program which links with local statutory agencies, The Red Cross and other NGO’s to ensure that we effectively contribute to a situation which is ever changing in nature and scale with each passing day.
“Glasgow’s charity is matching the goodwill of the Scottish people with the needs of those in their greatest hours of need. Our aid will be sustained and will cover a large geographical area including Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and northern Greece but vitally, it is coordinated by our staff on the ground and highly experienced partner agencies.”
People who wish to donate to the crisis are being asked to raise money so that it can be deployed through charities to reach those most in need.
Members of the public are also being encouraged to visit the Scottish Government’s dedicated website: www.scotlandwelcomesrefugees.scot
UK aid contribution reaches £1 billion
Prime Minister David Cameron will visit Lebanon today to see first hand how UK aid is helping the most vulnerable people who have been driven from their homes in Syria.
While there, as the UK’s aid contribution reaches £1 billion, he will outline the details of the extra £100 million package to help Syrian refugees, including £40 million to be used in the region surrounding Syria.
The £40 million will be allocated to the UN and NGO (non-governmental organisation) partners working in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, including British aid agencies like Save the Children, providing shelter, food, relief packages, health and protection services, as well as cash assistance – giving individuals the freedom to decide how best to cover their needs.
what the government is doing to help Syrian refugees.
Up to £29 million will go to Lebanon – host to 1.1 million Syrian refugees, or over a quarter of Lebanon’s population. The aid will help refugees and impoverished host communities cope, helping to reduce tensions between those communities and lower the risk of conflict in Lebanon which, if it broke out, could lead to more displacement of people who may look to come to Europe. Some of the aid assistance will also focus on Palestinian refugees (via United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), and support to Lebanese municipalities (via United Nations Development Programme).
The new support to Lebanon will provide:
Up to £6 million will help Jordan – host to over 629,000 refugees, or over a fifth of its population – to meet essential needs and reduce the incentive for refugees considering routes to Europe.
Up to £5 million will also support the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey, providing food and healthcare for those situated outside of the camps. This aid comes in addition to the £4 million announced for Turkey by the Development Secretary in February, bringing the UK’s total contribution to Turkey this year to £9 million. This support will be channelled through UN and NGO agencies who are best placed to respond to the crisis, alongside the Turkish authorities.
The additional £100 million, announced by the Prime Minister last week in Madrid, will be used to provide food, water, health care, education and shelter to people in Syria as well as in neighbouring countries, helping them to meet their basic needs where they are, rather than taking the desperate decision to risk their lives by attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 12 million people have been displaced by violence in Syria and nearly 8 million of those remain in the country, including many tens of thousands in informal camps near the Turkish border. Millions more suffering from the violence – who are yet to leave their homes – also need assistance.
In Syria itself, working with the International Rescue Committee, World Food Programme and UN agencies, £60 million will be spent to provide thousands of internally displaced people with a range of support including food, water, urgent trauma care and first aid. British funds will also help to provide essential drugs, medical supplies and equipment, as well as training for hundreds of dedicated health specialists and workers in the region.
Of those funds:
The Prime Minister said: “As the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian crisis in Syria our aid effort is supporting thousands of people to rebuild their lives, providing protection, counselling and schooling, alongside the provision of basic food and water.
“Investment in health, education, jobs and stability is the most effective way to help people overseas, and it is clearly in Britain’s interests.
“Around 3% of the 11 million Syrians forced from their homes have sought asylum in Europe, and without British aid hundreds of thousands more could be risking their lives seeking to get to Europe, so these funds are part of our comprehensive approach to tackle migration from the region.
“For thousands of refugees this money means a meal for their families, the security of a home with basic sanitation and clean water, and for children it means an education so we don’t lose a generation to the Syrian conflict.
“Our goal remains to support the development of a secure, stable and peaceful Syria. Without our investment in international development, the numbers of people seeking to embark on a perilous journey to Europe would be far greater.”
Edinburgh Direct Aid supporting Syrian refugees
Newhaven -based charity Edinburgh Direct Aid (EDA) is supporting international efforts to give aid to the tens of thousands of desperate people who have been forced to flee their homes, run for their lives and risk the safety of their families.
We can help by providing much-needed supplies – we can all help to make a difference.
The public response has already been tremendous, but the following items are urgently needed:
underwear (new!)
toothpaste
toothbrushes
soap
detergent
toilet paper
nappies
sanitary towels
wipes
And equipment needed for education and vocational training:
notebooks
A4 paper
pens/pencils
boardwriters
sewing materials
wool’
WHERE TO DONATE:
GRANTON MUIRHOUSE and WEST PILTON
The EDA warehouse is located behind a wire-grid gate on the south side of West Harbour Road – just past the TEBA boxing studio and opposite Len Lothian. It’s now open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11am – 3pm.
It is usually possible to park in the road outside, or to bring a car inside the gate but manoeuvring inside the yard can be awkward.
For further information contact Ian on 0785 785 5849
If it’s more convenient, you can make your donations in Muirhouse or West Pilton – both Muirhouse Community Shop on Pennywell Road (Monday to Friday 9am -3pm) and Pilton Youth & Childrens Project (PYCP) (telephone 332 9815) are also collection points for the Edinburgh Direct Aid appeal.
Please give what you can
