We have teamed up with eleven inspiring people, including comedian Shappi Khorsandi, to create this powerful picture that aims to provide a compelling counter-narrative to the negative rhetoric around refugees and people seeking asylum.

The image shines a light on the strength, diversity and untold stories of people who have sought safety in the UK.

You can help those who are in desperate need this winter by donating to our Crisis Fund. This fund enables us to respond quickly when crisis hits. Your donation will help provide essential items such as warm clothing, shoes, food parcels and toiletries.

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The group pictured share the experience of becoming refugees after having to leave their home countries across the world, as well as the desire to help make our communities a better place. From supporting the nation’s diverse culture with careers in comedy and music, to giving back to society through charity work, each person has overcome adversity to work towards their personal aspirations and rebuild their life in the UK:

Shappi Khorsandi, comedian and author, from Iran

Madhavi Vadera, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Migrant Help, from Uganda

Yordanos (DJ Yordi), DJ who has supported Rihanna and Drake, from Ethiopia

Justice Chapman, member of Migrant Help’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) programme, from Trinidad and Tobago

Ilir Hoti, Head of Operations at social enterprise Clear Voice, from Kosovo

Usman Khalid, social enterprise entrepreneur, from Pakistan

Ussri Badawi, delivery driver and member of the refugee and asylum seeker football team, Changing Lives, from Sudan

Aboubaker Mohammed, college student and member of the refugee and asylum seeker football team, Changing Lives, from Sudan

Liubov Liushnenko, Futsal champion and budding baker, from Ukraine

Najee Edabi, graffiti artist and chef, from Afghanistan

Sanobar Majdova, chef and member of Iranian choir, from Uzbekistan

Comedian and author, Shappi Khorsandi, was displaced from her home in Iran at a young age.

“I was a young child and know the aching heartache of exile as well as the practical struggles, as my parents rebuilt our lives while they were displaced and disoriented,” Khorsandi explains.

“I felt incredible kindness directed towards us, but also experienced an attitude which often dismissed and derided my parents because their English was not fluent, or they did not 'fit in'. Such things leave an indelible mark on children.”

Khorsandi is proud to be part of Refugees Reframed, an initiative designed to reshape the kind of attitudes she and her parents experienced first-hand.

“It was a privilege to be photographed alongside ten other refugees who are rebuilding their stolen lives in the face of adversity,” she says.

“No one chooses to be a refugee. Through this image, I hope we can play a part in rewriting the refugee story and building a world that embraces the courage and contributions of all its people who are rebuilding their lives in a new land, and in a new language,” Khorsandi concludes.

Also featured in the striking image is Madhavi Vadera, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Migrant Help.

“It was a real pleasure to stand among the remarkable people captured in the ‘Refugees Reframed’ image. As someone who sought asylum in the UK from Uganda as a child, this image is a personal testament to the strength that emerges from adversity,” says Vadera.

 “At Migrant Help, we believe this photograph serves as a powerful reminder that refugees are not mere statistics but people with dreams, talents, and the resilience to rebuild their stolen lives. Through showing the people and the stories behind the headlines, we hope to reshape the narrative around refugees for a more compassionate and understanding future,” Vadera adds.

Last year, we supported more than 103,000 people affected by displacement and exploitation through our services last year.

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You can help those who are in desperate need this winter by donating to our Crisis Fund. This fund enables us to respond quickly when crisis hits. Your donation will help provide essential items such as warm clothing, shoes, food parcels and toiletries.

Huge thank you to photographer Olivier Barjolle and stylist Ashley Conor for their work on this campaign.