I’ve been working on Room for Refugees for the last month or so, donating my time to a Glasgow based charity, Positive Action in Housing. I’ve helped them automate processes around their decade-old refugee hosting scheme, and in the month we’ve seen growth from under one hundred registered hosts, to (as of this morning) two thousand. When you donate your time to something you care about, and something that matters, you can make amazing things happen.
The photograph of Alan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach, looking as though he was sleeping in the surf, was a tipping point in the public perception of the Syrian refugee crisis. Before the explosion of attention that image precicipated, there had been low level coverage for months, and I had certainly been peripherally aware of the issues. I’d done what many people do, signed a few petitons, donated a little money, and grumbled a little about the news and our selfish Tory government’s inhumane approach to the problem. Seeing Alan made me want to do much, much more.
