Photo: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
The refugee-led charity Ubuntu supports women coping with the asylum system in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest asylum dispersal area. It offers crisis accommodation in a two-bedroom shelter and drop-in services from its office and last year, served about 200 women. Women who come to Ubuntu are provided with a £50 grant immediately and then £40 weekly when staying in the shelter. Three former service users are part of the seven-woman team that runs the charity and recognize the value of providing emotional scaffolding. "Talking to someone who knows the system, having lived through it, is really important," says Syeda. "These women are new in the city. They don't know what organisations can help them or where to get legal advice." Rita Elias, who runs weekly haircare sessions, says that what "when women leave the salon you can see the change in their face. This is not only about haircare – it is therapy."
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