The incredible story of Da’aro Youth Project, told through the eyes of a young person
CST has carried out an impact evaluation for the Da'aro Youth Project - an organisation that supports young refugees and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa. We are delighted to (at long last!) publish the report and share our reflections with the world. You won’t be surprised to hear that our message to you is that grassroots organisations like Da’aro are truly incredible - the report and this blog post outline why. This article shares the story through the eyes of Aneesa, one of our treasured interns, who helped with the finishing touches of the report having known very little about the experiences of newly-arrived refugees and asylum seekers.
“Da'aro” is a Tigrinya word for the sycamore tree - a symbol of protection, shelter, and community in Eritrean culture. It is for this reason that the founders of Da’aro Youth Project chose its name - a project that has quietly become a lifeline for hundreds of young people who are refugees and asylum seekers from countries in the Horn of Africa, living in London.
Hi, my name is Aneesa. I am the newest addition to the CST team - and it has been my pleasure to support with the finishing touches of this report about Da’aro Youth Project. When I first read the report I was shocked by the scale of challenges that young people face when arriving in the UK as asylum seekers. In a time where anti-migrant hate has skyrocketed, it is more important than ever to understand the struggles that these individuals face and recognise the vital work that organisations such as Da’aro are doing to support them.
Da’aro is led by Sarah Robson. Our Founder, Natasha, describes Sarah as an exceptionally inspiring leader, who pairs being lion-hearted with a gentleness and kindness that is palpable from a distance, and who is extremely knowledgeable. Sarah came to the UK from Eritrea when she was a young woman, had a successful career in Finance, before finding her true calling as Da’aro’s Director.
The project began as one community's response to unthinkable loss, and has since grown into one of London's most vital refuges for unaccompanied young people. What stood out to me is the value of growing organically in direct response to need. In an 18-month period between 2017 and 2019, four teenage boys from Eritrea took their own lives in London. Each had survived treacherous journeys to make it to the UK, only to slip through the cracks of a system that was supposed to care for them. They felt so hopeless they believed suicide was the only way out. They were not alone in feeling this way; tragically, since 2015, more than 30 asylum seeking young people have died by suicide in the UK - this is the result of a system that has repeatedly failed some of the most vulnerable young people in society.
Systematic issues:
It didn’t surprise me to learn that the systems of care and protection in the UK are letting people down, what did surprise me was the extent to which they are setting unaccompanied young people up to fail.
Too often, the professionals tasked with supporting young people lack basic empathy for their situation. More than a third of Da’aro’s clients have been subjected to age disputes, a grueling process in which the Home Office looks at a young person and decides (based on nothing more than appearance and demeanour) whether they are a child or an adult. The consequences of a child being deemed an adult are severe. They are stripped of their status as children, losing their right to education, safe housing (e.g. being housed in a hotel for adult asylum-seekers rather than with a foster family or children’s home), and other aspects of support that are in place to protect them.. Left without protection, these young people become easy targets for exploitation and abuse.
What does Da’aro do?
Da’aro understands that community is everything - especially when you are far from home, recovering from trauma, navigating growing up and starting a new life all at once. Da’aro’s weekly clubs are built around enjoyable, low-pressure but meaningful activities that bring people together - food, language, football, music, games. “If there's one thing that doesn’t need translation, it's food!” Sarah explained to us. Since 2018, Da’aro has served more than 4585 meals - each one a small act of kindness and of belonging.
The weekly clubs also offer volunteer-led ESOL classes (i.e. English for Speakers of Other Languages). Learning a new language is hard enough as it is, but being able to do so in a safe, welcoming environment can make all the difference. For young people finding their feet in an unfamiliar country with little to no English, having a safe space to build confidence isn't just helpful - it’s the difference between isolation and integration.
Da’aro stands out because, being led by lived experience and from the heart, their support goes above and beyond. The clubs are embedded with casework and mentoring services that give young asylum seekers access to vital support in a familiar setting they know and trust. Caseworkers advocate on behalf of these young people, with a level of cultural understanding and empathy that statutory services struggle to provide.
Our impact evaluation found that Da’aro has supported over 615 young refugees and asylum seekers. The preventative approach has put these young people on a positive trajectory early and reduces the risk of crisis before it takes hold.
We also captured the contributions Da’aro is making to systems change: Da’aro has driven real change for young refugees and asylum seekers coming to the country. Thanks to Da'aro's call to action, the Department for Education has since changed how it records care-leaver deaths across the country and Lambeth Council overhauled its approach to age assessments. In today's hostile political climate, wins like these matter enormously. Read the report for more.
Da’aro’s model:
Part of our job as evaluators was to find out not just what the impact is, but why that impact is possible. We identified Da’aro’s recipe for success: five key ingredients that make Da’aro so efficient and effective.
1. Holistic support
Da’aro provides social and emotional support in a single trusted place - which means vulnerable individuals aren’t redirected from service to service, all sharing conflicting messages. This integrated approach reduces the stress that can come with navigating multiple unfamiliar organisations and makes sure that no young person falls through the gaps.
2. A joyful and safe environment
By creating a welcoming environment, Da’aro ensures that young people arriving in London have a familiar community to become part of. This organic sense of belonging means these individuals have a stable foundation that they want to return to, reducing the need for external outreach. The rest of the services flow from there.
3. Led by and for the community
Da’aro was created by members of the Eritrean community who have had lived experience of migration from the Horn of Africa. This gives the organisation a deep cultural understanding that statutory services cannot replicate.
4. Proactive in its approach to prevention
Da’aro doesn't just intervene early, they actively build positivity from the outset. Rather than waiting for warning signs to emerge, Da'aro invests in the conditions that make young people resilient in the first place.
5. Burnout prevention is baked in
Working with vulnerable young people can carry a deep emotional toll - especially given the current socio-political climate. Da'aro understands that it is the people that make their organisation and offer structured supervision, regular check-ins, and dedicated rest periods for staff and vo They recognise that the long-term resilience of the organisation depends entirely on the wellbeing of the people within it.
Conclusion
As someone who was previously completely unaware of the hardships facing young refugees and asylum seekers, I was struck by just how much Da'aro's contribution exceeds what should simply be considered the bare minimum. I find hope in learning about the organisation that exists and the incredible work it does. Da’aro transforms lives and you can too. Whether through funding or volunteering, your support will allow Da’aro to grow strong and tall - just like the sycamore tree.
Read the full Da'aro Youth Project Impact Evaluation Report:
