Tela provides critical mobile connectivity to refugees, and people seeking asylum, in order to help them rebuild their lives in the UK
With the Coronavirus pandemic still sweeping the nation, numerous charities face the reality that the individuals they care for have been left at a great disadvantage. Particularly, refugees have been left vulnerable with no access to face-to-face support and an increased sense of isolation. Gaining access to mobile connectivity and internet services through their own individual devices has been a salvation for the Refugee Council and their clients.
Background
The Refugee Council is a UK based organisation that has been in operation for 70 years and works directly with thousands of refugees and people seeking asylum every year, including the support of children and young people who arrive in the UK alone. The organisation works to empower those starting their new lives in the UK and promote advocacy for refugees and works through with several projects that cover employment, legal representation, healthcare and more.
“We work directly with thousands of refugees and people seeking asylum each year. From the moment people arrive in the UK, we provide crisis advice and practical support. We also help integrate refugees into their new communities and offer mental health counselling to help people come to terms with the trauma so many have experienced.
https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/about-us/
The Challenge
After receiving funding as part of the National Emergency Trust because of the pandemic, the Refugee Council faced the challenge of how best to support the individuals under their care. Throughout the year, many essential services had moved online and were only accessible through digital devices. Whilst this had become an excellent tool for those wanting to easily access such services, it has also highlighted that digital poverty and exclusion were major barriers to those that didn’t have access to the necessities, such as internet and individual phone access.
For the Refugee Council, supporting those in varying forms of accommodation, from hotels with public Wi-Fi to shared housing with no accessible Wi-Fi, was an essential requirement. Education, healthcare, legal services, and more – all of these couldn’t be done face-to-face during the national lockdown period and with growing concerns over COVID safety, it was becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to access the aforementioned services through only shared public phones.
The Solution
Tela was selected by the Refugee Council to undertake this challenge after successfully demonstrating previous exceptional customer service support, implementation, and account management to the organisation.
“The extension of the contract made a huge impact and provided the people we work with a peace of mind as they continue their journey to full integration into society. Tela remained supportive throughout the entire process, and providing vital services and tech for our refugees and people seeking asylum has been a godsend.”
Initially, the Tela team organised a test device with key applications and software that the refugees would need. This allowed the team to better understand the requirements of all involved, and therefore find the most appropriate solution for their problem. Once the details had been established, Tela worked with Vodafone to provide crucial 6-month contracts with a focus on mobile data, and essential devices to the refugees.
The provision of devices and mobile data proved a vital lifeline and allowed engagement in all aspects for everyone involved with the Refugee Council. For those in accommodation, they now had a means to independently access the provided Wi-Fi, and for all the refugees, a newfound sense of ease allowed them to undergo daily tasks with the help of mobile data. This also included giving them access to healthcare resources, solicitors, emails and most importantly, through social media applications, the ability to contact family members within their home countries.
Upon the end of their initial contract, the UK government imposed another national lockdown. This caused a dilemma for the Refugee Council, and it was faced with another challenge in a fragile setting. Without a contingency plan, Tela offered to allow all those on the initial contract to continue using their mobiles and data plan free of charge for a further 6 months to avoid another crisis. This allowed Tela to give something back to the community and for the Refugee Council to continue their great efforts and allow the refugees to maintain their lifeline of internet access.
“Tela have been the example of best practice throughout our relationship; they are efficient, proactive and caring and we feel we have a trusted relationship with them. So much so that we have referred them to other like-minded charities and businesses.”
Corinne Lee, Hotel Project Manager, Refugee Council.
