Micro Rainbow’s cover photo
Micro Rainbow

Micro Rainbow

Non-profit Organization Management

London, England 3,846 followers

We run safe houses and socio-economic programmes for LGBTQI people fleeing persecution. 👉Over 29,000 bed-nights a year.

About us

Micro Rainbow’s vision is to create a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people are safe, free from discrimination, persecution and have equal opportunities in life, including in accessing employment, training, financial services and housing. Our  mission is to create opportunities for LGBTQI people to fulfil their potential in life and create innovative models for social change that are sustainable, scalable and replicable. Our objectives are: - to provide safe housing to LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees - to facilitate access to employment, volunteering, training and education for LGBTQI refugees - to research and better understand the specific issues faced LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees and to make recommendations that improve their lives. Our core beliefs are: - many LGBTQI people across the world are more vulnerable to poverty and isolated because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity or intersex status. When they come to the UK to seek safety they still face homelessness and discrimination. - LGBTQI people who are homeless and trapped in poverty can break the poverty cycle if they are given the opportunity. - addressing homelessness and poverty contribute to creating new narratives that change social attitudes towards refugees and LGBTQI people Our principles: - we provide hope and additional resources, but not charity; - we do not persuade or motivate people to help themselves; - we speak, consult and research with local communities, continuously; - we work in partnership or not at all; - we understand that social change takes time, and that is ok; - we maximise and make full use of existing resources whenever possible; - we believe that professionalism, efficiency, financial health and changing the world can go together. Big numbers look good and we hope to achieve them, however everyone that works with us is important to us and our focus is in changing people’s lives, one at a time.

Website
https://microrainbow.org/
Industry
Non-profit Organization Management
Company size
11-50 employees
Headquarters
London, England
Type
Nonprofit
Founded
2012
Specialties
LGBTI Human Rights, Poverty reduction, asylum, refugees, housing, Integration, LGBTQ, and LGBTQI

Locations

Employees at Micro Rainbow

Updates

  • Micro Rainbow reposted this

    View profile for Sebastian Rocca

    Social Entrepreneur - SE100 NatWest Pioneering Leader 2024 - Founder and CEO - Coach

    🎉 I am thrilled to share that Micro Rainbow has been named one of the Top 100 UK Social Enterprises in the SE100 2025 by Pioneers Post and NatWest Social & Community Capital! 🌈🏆 To be recognised alongside so many incredible changemakers (including Pranav Chopra of NEMI Teas & Richard Kennedy of Cornerstone Place, some inspirational colleagues of the 2025 Acumen Academy fellowship) is a huge honour and a testament to the impact of our team, partners, supporters, and most importantly, the LGBTQI people we exist to serve. From safe housing to holistic support, our mission remains clear: to create a world where LGBTQI people fleeing persecution can not only survive, but thrive. Thank you to everyone who’s helped us build this movement. This recognition is for all of us. 💜 📖 Find the full list here: https://lnkd.in/dJG_5rrx 🔗 Learn about our work: https://lnkd.in/drEeTHBY #SE100 #SocialEnterprise #LGBTQI #RefugeeSupport #SocialImpact #socialentrepreneurship

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  • In early June, as a part of its annual Global Community Day initiative, #CitiVolunteers joined Micro Rainbow for a day of service. Nearly 100 volunteers created cards and prepared three different support parcels for Micro Rainbow safe house residents – cleaning kits, food parcels and hygiene packs. People living in Micro Rainbow’s safe housing are living on less than £50 per week. With this, they must pay for all their food, travel, medication, toiletries and cleaning products. It is very difficult to budget for everything – especially for expensive items like cleaning supplies and bulk food – so these parcels make a huge difference to residents. Micro Rainbow is also a Citi Foundation 2025 Global Innovation Challenge grant recipient. A volunteer at the session said: "It was a pleasure to step away from my desk and spend part of my day with the Micro Rainbow team. I appreciated having an opportunity to learn about Micro Rainbow’s important work and offer a little support and encouragement to the people living in their safe houses.” The cleaning packs contained essential cleaning supplies like cloths and cleaning sprays. The food parcels supply residents with key store cupboard essentials. Pasta, rice, long life milk, along with many other items were packed into parcels. The final packs were hygiene parcels. These contained shampoo and conditioner, deodorant – everything you need when moving into a new space. Now, every one of Micro Rainbow’s safe houses has received a cleaning pack and a food parcel, and every resident has a hygiene pack. These packs have had an instant impact on Micro Rainbow residents. Scroll through the carousel to learn more about the impact of these parcels. #MicroRainbow #MovingOn

  • We have welcomed Ibrahim, a gay man from Somalia, to Micro Rainbow safe housing 🏠🏳️🌈 As a gay man, Ibrahim has faced significant challenges in his home country, where homosexuality is criminalised and carries a death penalty under Sharia law. Now, in a safe and supportive environment, Ibrahim can begin to rebuild his life with dignity and hope. He's living with other LGBTQI people and has the space and security he needs to concentrate on his asylum claim. Send Ibrahim your best wishes and help more people in our community by becoming an ally 👉 https://lnkd.in/dkhFJpt #SafeHousing #AsylumSeekers #HumanRights #LGBTQI #RefugeesWelcome

  • 🏠💜 Why do we provide safe housing for LGBTQI people fleeing persecution in the UK? In 64 countries homosexuality is illegal. 1,500 LGBTQI asylum seekers from those countries come to the UK every year. When they reach the UK they are still not safe. Because of their sexuality, gender identity, gender expression or intersex status they often: 👉are at risk of abuse in their accommodation from other asylum seekers who share the views they left their home countries to escape 👉face rejection by their diasporic or religious community, leading to isolation and depression 👉make themselves intentionally homeless to escape the abuse they face in their accommodation In 2017, Micro Rainbow opened the first safe house in the United Kingdom dedicated solely to LGBTQI asylum seekers, providing a safe space for them to focus on their asylum claim and start to rebuild their lives. We now have 30 safe houses across England and Wales, and can offer over 40,000 safe bed-nights a year. The demand for safe, inclusive housing for LGBTQI asylum seekers is higher than ever. But rising costs put this work at risk. Help us ensure safety and dignity for LGBTQI people fleeing persecution by becoming a Micro Rainbow ally - click on the link in our bio to find out how 🔗 #LGBTQI #Refugees #AsylumSeekers #Homelessness

  • Learn more about our incredible National Director Moud Goba in this podcast, released today: https://lnkd.in/eYS5xhjZ In This Was Always Me, Moud talks to Rich Clarke about growing up in Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe as a queer woman, and her fight for freedom once she reached the UK. Listen now - available in all the usual places! #MicroRainbow #ThisWasAlwaysMe #AlwaysMePod

    I am grateful and honoured to be included in the 2025 Pride Power List, coming in at number 61. I acknowledge the many many LGBQTI heroes who are working hard for our communities in the UK and worldwide! Working at Micro Rainbow I remain in awe and grateful for our Founder and CEO Sebastian Rocca ! I will always mention how he mentored me and believed in me even when I didn’t. I value that he recognised the importance of lived experiences in our work long before we all caught on! Thank you to my sister and friend at UK Black Pride ‘s Phyll Opoku-Gyimah for always inspiring me through all these 21 plus years! I have the privilege of serving the very communities I belong to. It’s not always easy work and I continue to be inspired by the people I stand alongside. Thank you to those who nominated me and to everyone who continues to fight for LGBTQI equality, inclusion, and joy, especially at this time. Thank you Linda Riley for starting this important list. It is not just a list, reading through the list, I am reminded of the important work being done, the fight we need to continue, and the many parts of our community that still need us to continue pushing forward! @pridepowerlist @rainbowhonours #PridePowerList #LGBTQI #MicroRainbow #ukblackpride #pridepowerlist25 #LGBTQIrefugees

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  • We have welcomed Mahmoud, a gay man from Egypt, to Micro Rainbow safe housing in the West Midlands 🏠🏳️🌈 As a gay man, Mahmoud has faced significant challenges in his home country, where homosexuality is criminalised and LGBTQI people face harassment, abuse and coercion through bribes. Now, in a safe and supportive environment, Mahmoud can begin to rebuild his life with dignity and hope. He's living with other LGBTQI people and has the space and security he needs to concentrate on his asylum claim. Send Mahmoud your best wishes and help more people in our community by becoming an ally 👉 https://lnkd.in/dkhFJpt #LGBTQI #AsylumSeekers

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Funding

Micro Rainbow 1 total round

Last Round

Grant

US$ 500.0K

See more info on crunchbase