How we’ve helped: English for Action💌

Language sits behind almost every part of daily life. It shapes whether someone can book an appointment, understand a letter, apply for a job, or ask for help. For refugees and migrants living in the UK, these everyday interactions are often the hardest part of starting again. With little money, limited rights, and few free learning options, people can end up stuck simply because they do not have access to English.

English for Action helps migrants in the UK build the language, confidence, and connections they need to take part in society and stand up for their rights. Through free English classes and community activities, the organisation creates welcoming spaces where people can learn, meet others, and work towards a fairer and more equal society.

Where our funding went

Our grant supported English for Action to deliver free, two-hour participatory English classes for refugees living in temporary accommodation across 6 London boroughs: Greenwich, Hackney, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, and Wandsworth. The funding made it possible to reach people with lower levels of English who are often excluded from learning because of cost, childcare, or No Recourse to Public Funds.

Learning that fits real life

Classes were built around the situations participants face every day. Sessions covered how to describe symptoms to a doctor, how to search and apply for jobs, how to prepare a CV, understand workers’ rights, navigate the housing system, and find local support or further education. This format helped participants build confidence as well as language, so they could handle real conversations outside the classroom.

Impact on wellbeing

Access to English classes is often blocked by cost, childcare, and immigration status. By offering free, flexible groups in accessible community spaces like faith calls, community centres, museums, and parks, English for Action removed some of the biggest barriers that stop people from taking part. A free creche, when available, meant parents did not have to choose between learning and looking after their children.

As people improved their English, they also became more confident navigating complex systems, asking for help, and advocating for themselves. Being part of a regular group helped reduce isolation and gave participants a sense of routine, safety, and belonging during an otherwise unstable time.

Through the classes, participants built friendships and support network with others who share their experiences of forced migration and rebuilding their lives in London. These connections made it easier to stay motivated, share information, and feel less alone while facing housing, health, and employment challenges.

Real stories of change

The organisation shared a real story of one of their beneficiaries:

“H. learned about one of our groups through the temporary accommodation where she was staying. She lives with a medical condition, has a child with disability, and has experienced a difficult relationship and subsequent separation from her partner. She has had to navigate both this transition and her move into temporary accommodation in a second language, while also being relocated far from her local connections.

Alongside being an active member of her learning group, H. took part in a theatre project, performing at City Hall. She also attended and spoke powerfully at a meeting with Southwark council leaders, sharing her testimony about how learning English has helped her build community in her home and express herself.

H. has also joined our housing action group to receive advice and plan next steps towards moving into a secure home for herself and her children.”

We are proud to support English for Action and their work to remove barriers to learning, helping refugees and migrants gain the tools they need to navigate life, claim their rights, and build a future in the UK.

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