City of Sanctuary Ambassadors have diverse backgrounds and a variety of skills and interests. Many are graduates of our Sanctuary in Politics course and are passionate campaigners, advocates and future leaders.
If you are you interested in becoming a Sanctuary Ambassador, or have a press enquiry, please contact [email protected]
Alice Mpofu-Coles
Alice is a councillor for Reading City Council. She holds a PhD in Identity and Transnational activities for young immigants and has volunteered at Reading Refugee Support Group for fifteen years.
She is passionate about making education accessible to people seeking sanctuary and she helps with our Universities of Sanctuaries programme.
Samsoudini Abdou Moussa (Shams)
Shams lives in Darlington and is completing an International Relations Masters. He’s the Co-Chair of Tees Valley of Sanctuary, a member of Doctors of The World Advisory group, a volunteer for the British Red Cross and a member of the UK Voices Networks group.
He is passionate about community, human rights, and making politics more compassionate.
Gaida Dirar
In Sudan, Gaida embarked on two university degrees and started a career on the national television. War put an end to all her dreams.
She has now gone back to university and is a passionate refugee rights activist. She is actively involved in our Schools of Sanctuary programme and has spoken at various schools to raise awareness about the refugee experience.
Mohamed Ali (Hamada)
Hamada experienced destitution and homelessness when he first arrived to the UK. Support from churches and charities gave him hope and changed his life.
He studied at university and now has completed a culinary qualification. He’s also an accomplished illustrator.
Niloha Rangel
Kushinga Hare
Kushinga is from Zimbabwe and has lived in the UK for 23 years. She lives in Reading and works for Refugee Support Group and Sing for Freedom Choir. She’s passionate about advocating for the rights of refugees, human rights and social justice issues affecting marginalised communities.
Esther Baleh
She’s now studying fashion design in London and uses her spare time raise awareness about refugees.
Mamoud Nyelenkeh
Ernest Zhanaev
Remzije (Remy) Duli
Malka Al-Haddad
Malka is an Iraqi poet and a Human Rights defender.
She is the former Director of the Women’s Centre for Culture and art in Iraq, she also used work as a professor at Kufa University, where she taught literary criticism.
Her first book of poetry, Birds Without Sky, was published in 2018. It won the Leicester Book Prize.