The needs of migrants and refugees have only increased in this wintertime of covid-19, its variants, and resulting job and home loss. Without a lot of fuss, there are a few small groups in Amsterdam continuing to make big efforts for people without papers.
One organisation we love is Human Aid Now, which, despite its small size, provides direct help to refugees in several countries. Human Aid Now is also quite active in Amsterdam, providing food packages to those without access to options such as the food bank, or Voedselbank. Another group very visibly engaged with refugees is Amsterdam City Rights. ACR identifies and develops projects that contribute to an inclusive city, in order to better accommodate the legal rights and needs of undocumented migrants.
Amsterdam City Rights, Human Aid Now, and Neighborhood Feminists came together to develop a simple, easily updated and/or reproduced flyer which outlines the existing legal rights undocumented people have in the Netherlands, as too often, both refugees and locals are not fully aware. Steungroep Vrouwen Zonder Verblijfsvergunning (SVZV) and national refugee information centre Stichting Los compiled the information in cooperation with ACR, and for more information about refugee rights, please visit www.basicrights.nl, Stichting Los (Dutch), and Amsterdam City Rights.
We’ll provide this information flyer with every Dignity Kit, and also maintain a periodically updated PDF version here. You can open the 2-page flyer by clicking on the following thumbnail: