Malala Yousafzai once said: ‘One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.’ This quote clearly demonstrates the potential of a child if given access to education, and Malala is a symbol of this. However, books and pens are a scarce resource for many refugees, shockingly, even in England. The good news is that there are people working hard towards changing this. 

During March, students at Radnor House collected donations of school supplies for refugees living in Richmond Burrough. This was a very successful endeavor with many donations from pens to pencils, rulers and rubbers all of which are going towards new school bags full of stationary.  

According to UNHCR statistics, as of mid-2021 there were 135,912 refugees in the UK, many of whom struggle to access basic necessities. Radnor House is contributing key resources to help young people function and develop in their new home by providing stationary essential for school. Going to school, focusing and learning can be a challenge for any student, but to attend a school in a new place, away from home, all in a different language but without the correct equipment is too much to ask. These issues need to be addressed and volunteer students at Radnor House have made a start but there are many other basics that are missing including kitchen kits as well as housing. These are very much needed for refugees to get as much normality back after being displaced from their home. So please be generous and donate to one of the charities such as Refugee Action, or if possible contribute some kitchen supplies or even take in a lodger to give someone a safe place to live. Let’s take a step in the right direction and help people in need because you never know, maybe one day that could be you.