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London is home to over 130,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Many arrive speaking little English, unfamiliar with the NHS, the legal system, or how to access basic services. Mendee was founded in 2022 to bridge that gap — using AI and community networks to help people navigate the first, most vulnerable months of their new lives.
What Mendee Does
Mendee operates as two linked organisations. Mendee Digital Ltd provides commercial services — certified human translation and a migrant affiliate hub. Mendee CIC (Community Interest Company) runs the social programmes (including the AI-assisted SiBot information hub). Revenue from the commercial arm directly funds the social mission.
Together, these entities have reached over 2,000 people across 7 languages: English, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Ukrainian. The focus is on refugees from Central Asia and Eastern Europe — communities that are often underserved by mainstream support organisations.
The Projects
StartNewLife.uk
StartNewLife is a free, multilingual information platform for refugees. It covers every stage of the asylum journey — from screening interviews and ARC cards to GP registration, housing, employment, and appeals. The site is available in 7 languages and is backed by a Telegram community of over 2,000 members. Mendee has supported 47 refugees with healthcare navigation through this programme, with 40 successful GP registrations.
SiBot
SiBot (Social Impact Bot) is an AI chatbot built specifically for refugees. It answers questions about asylum procedures, NHS access, benefits, and legal rights — in multiple languages, around the clock. SiBot was built as part of the Mayor of London’s Poverty Prevention Challenge and received £48,000 in GLA grant funding.
Skybow
Skybow is an anonymous primer on gay life for men from Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan), Russia and the diaspora worldwide. Country-by-country survival guides, dating, sexual and mental health, and signposting to IAA-regulated advisers for those seeking protection in the UK. Four languages: English, Russian, Uzbek, Tajik. Skybow does not provide immigration advice.
PRVD.LDN Translations
PRVD.LDN is Mendee’s certified translation service. It handles Home Office documents, tribunal submissions, NHS referrals, and legal correspondence in Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Ukrainian. The service is ICO-registered, DBS-checked, and ITI-affiliated.
Svoi.uk
Svoi.uk offers practical guides for Russian-speaking migrants — covering banking, SIM cards, money transfers, and the first steps of settling in the UK.
Impact in Numbers
- 2,000+ community members across Telegram and WhatsApp
- 253,000+ messages exchanged in the refugee community chat
- 2,277 posts published on the StartNewLife channel
- 81.8% engagement rate on channel content
- £97,500 in grants delivered (GLA, Innovate UK, QMUL Grow It Awards)
- 47 refugees supported with healthcare navigation (40 successful GP registrations)
- 7 languages supported across all platforms
Funding and Recognition
Mendee’s first external grant came in 2022: £3,000 from the Queen Mary University of London Grow It Awards (sponsored by Santander Universities) — early validation of the founder’s enterprise. In 2023 came two larger grants: £48,000 from the Greater London Authority through the Mayor of London’s Poverty Prevention Challenge (which Mendee won), and £46,500 from Innovate UK for AI research and development. Total: £97,500 across three different types of funder.
Partners include TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network), Skylight Ventures, Refugee Venture Fund, the International Rescue Committee, and the International Confederation of Midwives.
The Team
Mendee is led by Alex Choysen (Founder & Director), a refugee himself and Innovate UK grant recipient. Suhayl Odiljonzoda serves as Director and community liaison for Central Asian beneficiaries. Vladislav Chirjoi leads technical operations and multilingual workflow automation.
The organisation is based at Workspace Lock Studios in Bow, East London.