The Southeast and East Asian Community Hub project aims to strengthen the Southeast and East Asian (SEEA) communities’ resilience amidst the Covid-19 pandemic impacts on the general public in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund enables the project to build SEEA community hubs, focusing on Indonesian and Vietnamese migrant communities, that will provide advice and a referral system to support the community's needs. The project offers one-on-one drop-in mental health support and peer group sessions for sharing and caring. Finally, it creates a volunteering community network to support SEEA communities in London. Besides the Indonesian and Vietnamese communities, we welcome all SEEA communities in London to participate in this project by contacting us through email:  info@seeac.org.uk, or phone: +447376408975.

The Asian community, together with the Black and minority ethnic, continue to be disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 virus. During the second wave of the pandemic, Asian communities in London have a higher risk of dying at 1.7 times than the White population (Fenton, February 2021, Public Health England Blog). Racism, discrimination and increasing hate crimes have hugely impacted our communities. SEEAC’s discussions with 200 community members informed us that many of our members experienced extreme anxiety, isolation, and stress due to COVID-19. Many of them face financial problems because of job loss, businesses closing down, and increased working hours while their salary remains cut off. When one or one family caught Covid, he/she could not go back to work and hardly find a new job. Many migrants whose immigration status has no recourse to public funds (NRPF) attached or under legal processes face a double burden during the lockdown without being eligible for most public assistance. Some experience systemic difficulties, such as the inability to process national insurance and receive immigration documents after a long time. Several people told us they were unregistered with GPs due to a lack of access to information and support or fear of facing marginalised migrants’ insecure status. These challenges became greater with COVID-19 restrictions in place.

With the National Lottery Community Fund, SEEAC could expand our support to community members. This Community Hub project enables SEEAC to respond to more requests for advice or counselling from our community members in London and beyond, who face anxiety or mental health issues, through the regular one-on-one drop-in session with the support of qualified practitioners. We will also train our volunteers/staff to deal with the community members’ anxiety problems, enabling them to identify beneficiaries needing special attention. Volunteering will help community members improve their skills and employability to tackle employment and job loss challenges.  Regular peer group sessions held to facilitate communal and culturally sensitive sharing and support. Relationship and connection, we believe, are ways to keep people healthier and happier. Therefore, having this group session in tandem with several cultural and creative activities will eliminate loneliness and anxieties even when pandemic outbreaks continue.

In addition to these activities, SEEAC will continue developing and disseminating information and advice for SEEA communities in relevant languages and accessible formats through our online and offline platforms to fill the gaps in access to information from authorities and appropriate organisations.

SEEAC strives to make our society where members of SEEA communities in the UK live without social exclusion and isolation, free from discrimination, exploitation and poverty and can make positive contributions to British society. SEEAC supports migrants, refugees, and other marginalised SEEA communities, including women and LGBTQ+, in collaboration with partner organisations and community leaders.