Who We Are
We quickly connect your donations to refugee needs on the ground delivered through our trusted network of inspiring frontline partners.
Humanity for every refugee
ForRefugees is a leading refugee charity in Europe. Since 2016 we have tirelessly advocated for refugees and championed grassroots action because governments and large NGOs fall short. Your donation to forRefugees is quickly transformed into grants for our trusted frontline partners. Without this essential grassroots support, many refugee men, women, and children would be left cold, hungry, and homeless, with their human rights further compromised. At forRefugees, we fight to restore dignity and humanity for every refugee.
Championing grassroots action
When the refugee crisis reached Europe in 2015/16, it became clear that arrival countries were unprepared for the number of people seeking safety. In response, an unprecedented grassroots movement rose up. Ordinary people from the UK, Europe, and beyond rushed to help, welcoming refugees in hotspots across Greece, France, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Serbia. What none of us expected was that all these years later, grassroots efforts would still be a lifeline. Yet today the need is greater than ever so forRefugees continues to champion grassroots action and will do until governments finally face their responsibilities.
Trust us to deliver impact
ForRefugees is different because of our close, ongoing relationships with local partners and the refugee communities they serve. We frequently visit them, which enables us to quickly understand their needs and trust them to prioritise urgent challenges. Whether it’s funding a van, paying for warehouse rent, or providing bus tickets, we understand that these often-overlooked needs can mean the difference between refugees getting access to clean water, warm clothes, or legal help for their asylum cases. Our simple, bureaucracy-free process ensures that your donations go directly to the grassroots projects delivering real impact.
"Project Play wouldn't exist without forRefugees. We are so thankful and know that without them 1000's of hours of joyous, impactful play wouldn't have been brought to displaced children in northern France."
Rachel, Project Play
We live our values
At forRefugees, our work is guided by four core values—transparency, accountability, community-led action, and impact—which shape everything we do and ensure that every donation makes a meaningful, lasting difference.
Transparent
At forRefugees transparency is at the heart of everything we do. We publish all grant information including the impact it makes on the ground. We keep our overheads low so that more than 95% of every donation goes straight to where it’s needed.
Accountable
We hold ourselves accountable to both our donors and the communities we support. By maintaining close relationships with local partners, we ensure our grants support grassroots projects with meaningful outcomes for refugee communities.
Community-Led
Our approach is rooted in our partners taking the lead because they are best placed to understand and share the most urgent needs of the refugee communities they support. We award grants on an ongoing basis in response to direct asks from the ground.
Impactful
We believe in getting help to where it’s needed, fast. Our experience and knowledge means help reaches those on the ground where it’s needed, when it’s needed, bureaucracy free. From food and shelter to legal aid, your support is felt immediately by those on the frontlines.
Meet the team
Our team is passionate about supporting refugees and each has a connection either by experience, family history, marriage, hosting, or volunteering. Qualified in diverse fields from project management and accountancy to medical care, communications and procurement, our trustee board has a wealth of skills, experience and passion.
Amber Bauer
CEO / Founder
Delia Nadarajah
Nima Moradi
Trustee
Ingrid van Loo
Chris McQuillan
Trustee
Merel Graeve
Tom Steadman
Laura Darwish
Amber Bauer
CEO / Founder
Amber had a successful 20-year career in procurement and business transformation before transitioning to humanitarian work. Inspired by her experiences volunteering with refugees in Greece and Northern France in 2016, she founded forRefugees later that year. Amber and her husband have also been long-time hosts of refugees in their home, further deepening her commitment to supporting those in need.
Delia Nadarajah
Chair of Trustees
Delia is an experienced Project Management Consultant and accomplished writer bringing a wealth of experience to her role at forRefugees. After witnessing the negative rhetoric towards refugees, she felt compelled to support those seeking safety and joined forRefugees as Chair of Trustees in 2022.
Laura Darwish
Treasurer
Laura is an experienced ACCA-qualified Accountant currently working as a Finance Business Partner in the NHS. Moved by the 2015 refugee crisis, Laura began volunteering in Calais, Greece, and London. In 2023, she joined forRefugees as Treasurer where her financial expertise helps drive the charity’s mission forward.
Nima Moradi
Trustee
Nima is training to be a nurse and works part-time in dementia care. He has lived experience as a refugee who fled political persecution in Iran. After many years in Greece, he continued his journey and settled in the UK. His connection to forRefugees began through volunteering on Samos, and he became a trustee in 2022, bringing his personal insights to support others on their journeys.
Ingrid van Loo
Trustee
Ingrid is a retired General Practitioner. Originally from the Netherlands, Ingrid has lived in the UK for 30 years. Her commitment to helping refugees started in 2015, when she began hosting in her home. She joined forRefugees as a trustee in 2021 and frequently joins their self-funded trips to support grassroots partners across Europe.
Merel Graeve
Trustee
Merel now works in the film and TV industry, splitting her time between London and the Netherlands. She began volunteering with refugees in 2015 in Moria Camp, Lesvos, and later ran a community center for refugees in Greece. Merel joined forRefugees as a trustee in 2023 and continues to advocate for refugee solidarity, especially through her story-telling work.
Tom Steadman
Trustee
Tom is a communications activist, digital content creator, and poet. He spent four months volunteering in the Calais ‘Jungle’ camp, where he filmed the documentary On Our Doorstep. With experience leading communications for humanitarian organisations, Tom now works as a freelance campaigner. He joined forRefugees as a trustee in 2024 to further support refugee causes using his communications expertise.
Chris McQuillan
Trustee
Chris is a contracts and procurement manager with a history working with non-profit organisations. His family’s personal history of displacement during WWII inspired his commitment to humanitarian causes. Chris joined forRefugees as a trustee in 2024 after getting involved with the charity during his journey walking the British coastline with his dog, Moose.
"forRefugees have supported us through our most challenging periods. They are constantly joining partner organisaitons on the ground and regularly visiting sites and volunteering their time to fully understand each project they support and the impact it has on the community they serve."
Soline, Collective Aid
Annual reports
Read all our annual reports on the Charity Commission website.
