Hopscotch Afghan Refugee Project (HARP)

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Thank you, Ockenden International for seeing Hopscotch Women’s Centre and for witnessing our work so tangibly. This award is a profound honour for us, but the real achievement belongs to the Afghan women who trusted us with their stories and their journeys. Since 2021, we have attempted to walk alongside them as they rebuilt their lives in Camden — learning English, connecting with neighbours, celebrating culture, and rediscovering their confidence. Their strength and generosity have transformed not only their own families but our wider community. We are proud to stand with them, and this recognition affirms what we already know: when women are supported, welcomed and celebrated, entire communities thrive.
Simran Chawla
CEO
What the judges said

Hopscotch Women’s Centre, Camden, London, for its ‘Hopscotch Afghan Refugee Project (HARP)’, which aids Afghan refugees, offering language learning, community building, and confidence workshops was the standout UK project this year. “An amazing initiative,” the judges said because it “promotes a thoughtful and holistic approach to supporting Afghan families – particularly, mothers, the most vulnerable among resettled Afghans.” The project’s success in fostering vital connections with local statutory and voluntary organisations benefit the whole community, while its focus on childcare allows women attending their sessions to engage more freely with the initiatives. One thousand, six hundred and forty six people have so far been helped by the project, which is run by seven staff and six volunteers.

What participants say

“When we arrived here, we didn’t know anything. Hopscotch programme and advocates brought us from darkness to brightness. All sessions were arranged perfectly according to our needs filled with information, support, education and helpful for our mental health. I felt proud of myself when I saw my work at the British Library, where people took pictures and asked for information. Overall, ever since getting involved with Hopscotch, I feel like myself again. For the first time I learned that as a woman I am valued, which boosted my confidence and helped me converse in English more.” – service user
 
“This programme was truly unforgettable one for all of us. It brought us together in a way we had not experienced for a long time. As we sat side by side, sharing our untold stories, it felt- if only for a moment -as thought we were back home in Afghanistan. In those days, we used to gather like this, exchanging stories full of joy and sorrow, laughing and shedding tears. Since arriving in the UK, however, the challenges of life in a new country and the demands of building a new life have kept us busy that we haven’t had the chance to reconnect in the same way. That’s why this programme means so much. It reminds us of who we are, where we come from and the things we share.” – service user

What staff say

“It was important for us to create a welcoming environment for women from different ethnic backgrounds, tribes and languages: a place where fairness and equality could truly be felt, especially because these values have been lost in my country (Afghanistan). We began with something simple and universal: the kitchen table. Through cooking classes, we showed what equality looks like in practice and how to treat one another with respect. Over time, before each cooking session, we introduced lessons on integration, safeguarding, life in the UK, nutrition and the law. Since then, we’ve seen remarkable changes in their health, wellbeing, mental health, confidence and in the way they interact and work alongside other communities.” – Staff member
 
“Our project provides a wraparound programme for newly arrived women and their families, helping them navigate life in London – from daily tasks like shopping and travelling safely to finding activities for their children. Using a culturally sensitive, person‑centred and trauma‑informed approach, we placed English learning at the heart of everything to support integration, confidence and independence. More than four years on, we focus on social cohesion, building understanding between existing local communities and refugees, and living alongside each other. I’m proud to see how far the women have come: many now attend college, take driving lessons, access training or employment, and their children are thriving. Women who once arrived with little or no English can now communicate with confidence.” – Head of Programmes

The other two UK Prize finalists and their projects

  • HostNation conducts its ‘Refugee Friendship Project’ in Greater London, Greater Manchester and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead). HostNation is a volunteer-led charity connecting refugees and asylum seekers with local volunteer befrienders to ease isolation, build confidence, and foster friendships. Through shared activities and social support, it helps newcomers integrate, improve English, and feel part of the community.
  • The Launchpad Collective (TLC)‘s project ‘Led by Lived Experience: Unlocking Potential – Pathways to Dignity and Self-Reliance’ operates UK-wide supporting refugees to rebuild their lives through training, education, and mentoring. By improving skills, confidence, and employability, TLC supports refugees to move from exclusion to empowerment – restoring dignity and creating genuine pathways to sustainable work and independence.

The 2026 Open Prize Winners and Finalists

Ockenden International’s five cash prizes recognise and reward innovative projects that deliver evidential self-reliance to refugees and/or displaced people, the defining principle of Ockenden International since its inception as the Ockenden Venture in 1951. The five cash awards are open to projects or programmes focused on Internally Displaced People (IDPs)/refugee self-reliance anywhere in the world. The other seven open prize finalists, with the three winners in italics, were:

  • The eponymously named Daughters Rising project in Chiang Mai, Thailand empowers at-risk ethnic minority and refugee women and girls from Myanmar and Thailand through education, job training, emergency aid, and independence programs by tackling exploitation and inequality. It helps them find safety, skills, and self-sufficiency to break cycles of vulnerability and lead dignified, self-reliant lives.
  • Equal Legal Aid, Greece, for its project ‘Access to asylum and strategic legal aid for displaced people in northern Greece’, which the judges agreed was a “solid application providing legal clinics at five locations as well as telephone hotlines. It’s providing an essential service, doing important work for refugees including support for victims of gender violence.” Equal Legal Aid they said has “proven effective” in giving refugees a starting point in dealing with the bureaucratic and social complexities of their new lives in an area with no government support or legal infrastructure. The project, which includes 22 refugee volunteers, has so far helped 3,792 refugees.
  • Hope Foundation for Women and Children in Bangladesh’s project in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, ‘From Refugee to Health Worker: Building Self-Reliance among Rohingya Girls’ empowers displaced communities through healthcare, education, and training. Its Girls Health Aid Program equips young Rohingya women with medical and leadership skills, fostering self-reliance, employment, and improved community health while reducing dependence on aid.
  • iACT for its ‘Little Ripples’ project in the country of Chad, central Africa. The 2026 judging panel said it was heartening to see a project from the troubled, remote difficult-to-reach area of eastern Chad. They particularly liked the fact that the project was refugee-led within the refugee camp community – training the mothers to become teachers – while ensuring the camps were on board. They also noted the project’s “joyful approach” and impressive results, particularly in its work with very young children as well as the project’s built-in capacity for scale and empathy-based leadership, with 175 staff and volunteers having so far trained 1,975 teachers.
  • Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights’ ‘IT & Play (Toy) Bus – Mobile Support for Displaced Children and Youth’ project provides digital training, psychosocial support, and creative spaces, promoting healing, skills development, and independence, particularly for Yazidi and displaced youth recovering from conflict and trauma in Iraq and Syria.
  • Maya Vakfi (Foundation) in Adiyaman, Türkiye, conducts the project ‘Empowering Early Years: Enhancing Early Childhood Development for Refugee Children and Caregivers in Earthquake Affected Communities’ by empowering disadvantaged Syrian children and families through psychosocial support, education, and community programs following the devastating 2023 earthquakes.
  • Save Ukraine Foundation, in the Kyiv region, northern Ukraine, operates the ‘Hope and Healing Center’, providing comprehensive psychological and social assistance to Ukrainian children rescued from Russia and from Russian-occupied territories. The judging panel said it was an “impressive application borne of horrendous circumstances offering psychological support to clearly-disturbed children who have been kidnapped and returned” to Ukraine. The judges were impressed by the provision of holistic and bespoke care “ensuring that the children are given the best chance of rehabilitation and reintegration.” The 14 members of staff have helped rehabilitate 216 children.
  • Tumaini Letu, is a refugee-led organisation based in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Dowa, Malawi founded in 2012. Since 2014, its flagship project, the annual Tumaini Festival has used music, dance, and the arts to promote refugee dignity, inclusion, and self-reliance. The judges singled it out for “an unapologetic celebration of refugees’ talents and contributions” as well as the fact that the festival was started by refugees.” They were also surprised that it is the only festival located in a refugee camp – and one that was once a prison. The judges said: “It plainly – and aurally – integrates community.” They noted that the event has also sparked market opportunities for the Camp’s refugees, a reliable way to develop self-reliance.” They admired its positive effect on morale of the community and the 5,400 jobs for people in the Camp the festival has generated, invoking a deep sense of pride, hope and joy by focussing its activity on the creative and practical.” The project is managed by 15 staff and 10 volunteers.