About Us

SERIC Advisory & Support Agency in Britain was set up in November 2006 by a group of Somali former refugees who are concerned about the Somali community issues in the UK. In November 2006, Seric became a registered charity and a limited company by guarantee. Modern Somalia was 'created' on 1st July 1960 from British and Italian Somaliland (colonies). Amid growing mistrust of the incumbent government, Major General Mahammad Siad Barre staged a bloodless coup in 1969.

Over the next 21 years Siad Barre established a military dictatorship which ended when he was ousted in 1991. Siad Barre's departure marked the beginning of 19 years of clan warfare and lawlessness resulting in the loss of 100,000’s of lives due to fighting and famine, and since then the country has been without effective government. Roughly one third of the country is reliant on food aid, and the UK has received many Somali refugees since the 1980s. Between 1995 and 2003 there were 43,000 Somali applications for asylum; 29,700 of these were granted (Heath et al., 2004). The Somali population according to the 2001 Census was just over 43,000 people; and of this population 78% lived in London (Census, 2001). The largest Somali communities in London resided in Brent at 3,381 at the time of the 2001 Census, however current estimates are that there are over 6,000 in Brent (Brent Refugee Forum estimate, 2009), and over 90,000 in the UK (Information Centre about asylum and Refugees).

Originally the aims of Seric were do deal with the issues of poverty, inequality and hardship among the Somali Community in the UK through training, education and leisure activities, to improve the qualities of life for the Somali community throughout in the UK, the majority of whom were refugees and asylum seekers and live in London.

It is a growing organisation and is being noted for its contribution to the services provided in the area of homelessness and its ability to respond to the needs of its beneficiaries.