Micro Rainbow International Foundation works to support LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. Every year, over 1100 LGBTI persons claim asylum in the UK because of their sexuality, gender identity or intersex status. LGBTI asylum seekers are often not safe if they are placed in housing environments with people from their own home countries, or those people whose religious and cultural backgrounds hold extreme homophobic and transphobic views. Non-cisgender lesbians and gays, trans and intersex people often suffer from higher levels of violence and abuse. LGBTI asylum seekers have in the past reported being bullied and assaulted by other refugees with whom they share accommodation.

Against this background, Micro Rainbow wants to ensure the safety of LGBTI refugees, their economic empowerment and their social integration. Micro Rainbow's solution is to:

(1) offer housing for LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees exclusively, to provide them with safe temporary accommodation;

(2) deliver social inclusion activities, such as peer support groups and life skills workshops;

(3) provide assistance to find employment and to set up small businesses.

The service provision combination of safe housing and socio-economic services that foster integration into British society (a holistic approach to integration) gives LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers greater chances to fulfil their full potential in life.

In October 2017, Micro Rainbow opened the first house in the UK offering safe housing to LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers. As of July 2021, Micro Rainbow has opened 15 safe houses to support LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees in the area.

Please support our fantastic group of runners who are running the Pride Run 10K on Saturday the 18th September to raise money for this amazing cause. The runners are:

Barry OLeary, Robert Greene, Tom Laming, Ilona Bannister, Clodagh Keane, Ciera McCartney, Orla Papadakis, Ellie Dawe, Jim Dawe, Andrew Jones, André Martins, Hassan Masri Haddad, Sebastian Rocca, Adele Fowler, and Ana Gonzalez.