Osborne Clarke's Refugee Aid Action Group and international charity SolidariTee were announced as winners of the Charity Partnerships Legal category at Third Sector's 2023 Business Charity Awards this week.
The Business Charity Awards showcase the remarkable partnerships between outstanding corporate and not-for-profit organisations and celebrate their achievements. The judges commented: "Great example of a partnership that has utilised the strengths of both partners to solve a tangible focused issue. Innovative and impactful this shows how partnerships should be done in the sector." See the Third Sector's full write up here (log in required).
Osborne Clarke has been supporting SolidariTee, an international charity led by young people, which works with local partner NGOs to provide legal aid to asylum seekers living in refugee camps across Greece. What began as a small working group set up at the end of 2021 has become a partnership which continues today.
The collaboration brings together a programme of innovative events to raise awareness of global refugee issues, with a focus on discussion and self-reflection. In addition, members of the Osborne Clarke Refugee Aid Action Group and senior leadership have invested time in supporting SolidariTee’s student volunteers as the next generation of industry professionals, policy makers, and educators with invaluable experience, strategic guidance and mentorship opportunities.
By providing Osborne Clarke team members with ways to create tangible change for refugees and asylum seekers, at varying levels of time commitment, the partnership has also been able to directly fund several months’ worth of expenses for legal aid NGOs.
Georgina Dennis, who coordinates Osborne Clarke's CSR and Pro Bono programmes, commented:
"The refugee crisis is an international issue impacting the communities, businesses and individuals we work with. It's been a pleasure to partner with Solidaritee, bringing together the skills, expertise and ambition of our volunteers to make a difference to the lives of those in need."
In addition to its partnership with Solidaritee, Osborne Clarke's Refugee Aid Action Group work with two organisations that support the different stages of refugee's journeys. The group also works closely with Care 4 Calais , a charity that provides immediate assistance to refugees entering the country and Breaking Barriers, a charity that helps refugees navigate the labour market and retrain.
