“Choose Love”

Help Refugees is a refugee charity with a difference – it operates with minimal overheads for maximum impact.  There are no highly paid executives or layers of management which means 89% of donations go directly to those who need it most.  Their operating model is simple and effective – they find the local organisations doing the work at grassroots level and then provide them with the tools they need, be it for funding, volunteers or vital equipment.

This means it can provide vital aid to those people fleeing from war, persecution or poverty, especially in such countries with a refugee crisis such as Lebanon, Greece or Italy.

The Choose Love campaign, which was run by the charity, was chosen to sum up its message to both its donor audience and to its recipients.  It was also the name given to its charity pop-up shop which opened both in London and New York.

The London store was based in Foubert’s Place, Carnaby Village and allowed visitors to buy much needed items for those in crisis, from emergency blankets and food through to mother and baby bundles.

Pop-up Wi-Fi was needed as a temporary measure, to allow visitors to buy items with the ground floor of the shop displaying a wide range of merchandise.  The first floor also needed good coverage as it played host to events, talks and workshops.

Westend WiFi was able to cover the building, using their temporary Wi-Fi systems to ensure a seamless and trouble-free visitor experience.  Help Refugee volunteers were on hand to explain the charity’s mission and to answer any visitor questions as well as publicising the event through social media.

The importance of both the retail and the online store of Choose Love simply cannot be underestimated as it provides vital funds to underpin the charity’s work.  Some £750,000 was raised last year which provided hot meals, blankets and other necessities to those in dire need.

Josie Naughton, CEO of Help Refugees, says;

“Last Christmas, the shop became a beacon of compassion in the heart of central London.  Choose Love helped people from all walks of life to feel empathy for refugees and do something practical to help.”

The event proved to be so popular that another pop-up shop was opened up in Newburgh Street earlier on this year.

Find out more about Help Refugee’s important work  here