Internet for Refugees by Refugees

The Chaos Computer Club e.V., Freifunk Berlin and the Förderverein freie Netzwerke e.V. support Refugees Emancipation, who have been working for years building internet cafes in refugee accomodations and organizing computer courses. RE has been able to build several cafes and to give the people who live there the opportunity to obtain information and to communicate with the outside world.

We want to finance RE for at least one year in advance. This includes not only telecommunication costs, office supplies, tools, repairs for the existing five cafes, but also rent for offices, transportation cost and allowances for the coordinators of the project: Refugees who dedicate many hours a day making sure that the project works. In this way we want to provide stability and freedom of action. Aside from the founding members of the campaign, organizations and companies are starting to support it. Help us to fulfill the donation goal!

How else can you help?

1. During the campaign we support the online presence of Refugees Emancipation to further their reach.
   • Follow the new @REmancipation on Twitter.
   • Like RE on Facebook.
   • There is also a new Youtube Kanal. Also invite others to follow RE …
2. Embed a banner on your website and link to the donation page.
3. If you have ideas which companies and organizations we should contact, or you want to help establishing contact, send us an email at support@refugeesemancipation.com.

What is this about?

Asylum applicants find themselves in a precarious situation after they flee their home country and unfortunately when arriving in Germany as well. In Germany, they are often isolated and lack opportunities to participate in society. They are subjected to numerous rules and sanctions in their housing, and on top of this, they are expected to understand complicated asylum procedures and manage bureaucratic hurdles, which are difficult even for people with proficiency in German.

With an Internet connection, people can not only establish contact and keep in touch with their relatives and friends, but also communicate to the public, which often talks about refugees without talking to them. It is also crucial to give them access to information about laws, their rights, translation aids and educational material as well as information about their home country and news.

Internet access, which many of us take for granted, is a privilege. This is unfortunate, and we believe that it should be a human right, and that it should be the state’s responsibility to guarantee it. This is also true for refugees. Until this is a reality, we want to support this process.