About us
Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V.
Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. was founded in 2005 as a non-profit organization. Since then we have been working for the rights of refugees and their families.
We act on their behalf and in their interest and take their side.
We advise refugees and those seeking the right to stay, their relatives and their environment on asylum procedures, their residence and life in Germany.
As Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. we position ourselves in public. We inform and take a stand on developments in the areas of refugee and asylum in the region of Lippe, in Germany and beyond. We thus want to create greater awareness of the political, social and human rights situation of refugees – among the public, in politics and among the authorities.
The vision that guides the work of Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. is an open, solidary society in which all members have equal rights to participate and help shape it. For us, this also means that all people enjoy freedom of movement and have the right to come, stay and leave.
Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. has been a member of Diakonisches Werk Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe e.V. – Diakonie RWL since 2014.”
We stand up for the rights of refugees and undocumented persons
Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. is committed to ensuring that refugees and people with a history of migration can live in dignity and without fear, regardless of their social, cultural or religious background.
We stand up for the rights of refugees when dealing with civil society, politics and authorities – regardless of their residence status. We also support those who otherwise have no access to state services, such as people in so-called residence illegality/undocumented (“Sans Papiers”). We are of the opinion that it is not wrong to help someone in this situation to achieve his or her right to a dignified and self-determined life.
We advise and support people on asylum and residence in Germany
We are the contact person for people with a history of flight and questions concerning the right to stay.Our counseling serves persecuted persons and all other people with an uncertain residence status who are looking for safe residence in Germany or have other questions about their stay. Our focus is on asylum and residence law.
As a socially and politically committed association, we support the people in our counseling services in shaping their lives in Germany in a self-determined manner and take sides for their interests. The trust of the people who use our counseling services is an important resource for successful work and part of our self-image. One dilemma of Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. is that in its work for refugees it is involved in working contexts that contradict its principles.
This concerns, for example, our counselling work in camps or legal advice in the context of increasingly restrictive asylum and residence laws. We are aware of this contradiction and address it publicly.
In our consultation, however, the individual life situation of all those who make use of it has priority. In individual cases, which is what counts for us, we can only improve the situation within the structures and close to those affected.
We position ourselves in public
We are convinced that for the further development of our society towards an open migration society it is necessary to take sides with those who have fewer rights or whose existing rights are in danger. In this sense we also understand our work as a political task and see Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. as a lobbyist for refugees.
At the same time, it strives to change society in such a way that refugees can represent their interests and be heard in all places and in all parts of society. We point out shortcomings in dealing with refugees and take a stand on asylum and migration policy from local to supra-regional level.
We represent political and humanitarian concerns to the press and the public and strive to inform and sensitize everyone around us.
We participate in and declare our solidarity with the political commitment for the right to stay and against (institutional and open) racism.
We share our knowledge with others
Flüchtlingshilfe Lippe e.V. is the contact for authorities, companies, organizations, associations, federations and private individuals in the district of Lippe and beyond. We provide information on the topics of flight, asylum, migration and residence in Germany and organize events on these topics.
We are convinced that conveying knowledge about flight, asylum, and the political and social living conditions of refugees makes an important contribution to shaping an equal, open and trusting relationship.
We treat each other with respect and solidarity
The respectful treatment of all people is of great importance to us. We create an appreciative exchange within the organization. Our commitment is based on trusting and equal structures.
Important decisions within the organization are therefore made jointly by all employees and the board of directors or by the general meeting. Together with the people in our consultation we also look for a common path to their goals.
As a learning organization, we are constantly educating ourselves further, meet in internal training series and attend external training courses in order to expand our competencies.
