TOP – The Other Perspective
On Tuesday 19th November project team went on their very first trip to visit TOP, The Other Perspective. Founded by Bini Araia, himself a former Eritrean Refugee, this community interest organisation assists migrant and refugee communities in the North East of England, by helping highly motivated individuals find employment. TOP’s core areas lie in catering and translation services, building on the many linguistic and culinary skills migrants bring, but their work extends far beyond this. Bini, a trained geologist who worked for the central government before he had to flee Eritrea, wants migrants and refugees to be able to make use of their education and manifold skills, which in turn would benefit of the local community and the wider United Kingdom.
In his office, based in an exciting new community centre project in Middlesbrough city centre, Bini tells us of his frustration at the wasted talent in his local area, with many highly skilled, highly motivated individuals unable to work due to the restrictions placed on asylum seekers in the UK, or to lack of knowledge or willingness on the part of HR departments, the lack of formal recognition for foreign degrees and qualifications, or because many migrants and refugees simply do not have the right connections to get a toehold in their industry. Bini’s clients range from chemical and petroleum engineers, to doctors, a dentist, and even a professional dancer who now leads regular dance and exercise classes for the local community.
The bulk of Bini’s work lies in providing support, contacts, and networks to try and overcome the overwhelming isolation that many refugees feel upon entry into a new country. While another charity Bini co-founded, IPC - Investing in People and Culture, provides support in the cultural and social sphere, TOP’s focus is to tackle the economic exclusion faced by many refugees. And what he and TOP have achieved already is truly impressive. Next to translation, catering, and HR services, they have managed to give a huge boost both to refugee doctors and to the NHS: after a successful pilot scheme begun in 2017, TOP is continuing their campaign to have refugee doctors’ accreditations validated in the UK to allow them to work with and for the NHS. On top of this, TOP have just been awarded over £1m from the government’s Refugee Outcomes Transition Fund (RTOF), to finance their work of supporting refugees not only find work, but work that allows them to make full use of their skills, education, and training.
We are very excited to work with TOP and Bini and look forward to jointly developing case studies, articles, and policy papers that will demonstrate the huge contribution that migrants and refugees are making – and have always made – to their host countries.
