Justice and Human Rights United Kingdom Project #43661

Empower disadvantaged Armenians with legal advice

by Centre for Armenian Information & Advice (CAIA)

Empower disadvantaged Armenians with legal advice

Project Report | Apr 8, 2026
Bridging the Justice Gap: Empowering employees with their Rights

By Misak Ohanian | CAIA CEO

Imagine working long hours, only to face unpaid wages, unsafe conditions, or discrimination, with nowhere to turn for help. This is the reality for too many migrant workers in Ealing and West London.

In early 2026, CAIA, in partnership with the Work Rights Centre, launched four pilot employment law clinics at CAIA's Hayashen Centre, providing free legal advice to vulnerable workers. Our clients weren’t just Armenians—they included English, Chinese, Albanian, Polish, Jamaican, and Somali community members—all struggling to assert their rights.

The Need Is Urgent

Overwhelming Demand: Enquiries outpaced our clinic capacity from day one.
Complex Challenges: Cases ranged from disability discrimination and workplace injuries to unpaid wages.
System Overload: Local agencies are at 100% capacity—many workers have nowhere else to turn.

How Your Gift Makes a Difference

By supporting this program, you can help us:

Expand clinics to reach more workers every month
Provide urgent, expert legal advice for those facing immediate crises
Train volunteers to continue this vital work

This pilot proved one thing: expertise alone isn’t enough. Employees need accessible support. With your help, we can turn this short-term project into a permanent lifeline for migrant workers in West London.

“I didn’t know where to go when my employer didn’t pay me. The clinic gave me answers—and hope.” – Clinic Beneficiary

Help us bridge the justice gap - Every Employee Deserves information and advice

Donate today to empower those who need a voice.

Links:

Search our website on Google

Permalink

Nov 24, 2025
A BILLION REASONS TO GIVE - What does it mean to give hope to someone facing life adversity?

By Misak Ohanian | CAIA CEO

Ukranian Armenian refugees & our Adviser in London

For individuals navigating overwhelming personal hardship, whether they are single parents, people recovering from illness, or Armenian refugees from Ukraine, your support can change the course of their lives. Thank you for choosing to stand with those who are struggling and often unseen.

Life can shift without warning. After fleeing the war in Ukraine, Ms. DH arrived in London as a single mother with almost no support network. She took a part-time carer job with heavy workloads, low pay, and barely any time to rest. The stress took a toll on her physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

Her caring nature has always been one of her strengths, but it also meant she had little time or energy left to look after her own needs. With limited digital skills and mounting stress, searching for more stable work felt overwhelming. Her confidence was low, and she often felt lost and unsure how to navigate these challenges on her own.

With support made possible through the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (CAIA), Ms. DH entered a programme where she was encouraged to finally focus on herself. Staff recognised how much she had given to others and offered gentle, consistent guidance to help her explore opportunities that she had long set aside. They helped her update her CV, learn essential digital skills, and complete job applications, steps that would have been difficult to approach without dedicated assistance.

She learned to navigate the UK job market, apply for jobs online, and steadily rebuild her confidence by taking initiative and making full use of every resource offered. Soon after developing a new CV and applying her newly gained skills, she secured a full-time job.

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Call to action: Donate Now

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As she shared, this support CAIA offered “a turning point when I felt overwhelmed.” Today she is happier, financially stable, and looking toward the future with renewed hope. She has even expressed a desire to give back by volunteering when she can.

Your generosity can bring the same transformation to other individuals facing hardship, people who need hope, encouragement, and a chance to rebuild.

Links:

http://www.caia.org.uk

Permalink

Jul 28, 2025
Empowering London's Armenian Community: The Impact

By Misak Ohanian | CAIA CEO

1 2 3 4 5 6 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.