Eiri Ohtani, Director

Eiri joined Right to Remain in April 2022 to take up a newly created post of Director. Eiri has over twenty years experience in the refugee and migration sector, covering a wide-range of roles at the national, European and international levels. In the UK, she previously set up and ran the charity Asylum Support Appeals Project and the coalition, the Detention Forum. She also works as a consultant specialising in strategy, theory of change, advocacy and organisational development and regularly provides advice to foundations. Here is a bit more about her, in her own words. She tweets, often angrily, at @EiriOhtani

Michael Collins, Coordinator

Michael has been involved in refugee and migrants rights since the late 1990s as a volunteer, campaigner and worker. He joined us in 2009, in our previous incarnation as the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, and worked on the organisational transformation that produced Right to Remain. He coordinates the These Walls Must Fall campaigning network, helps with strategy, designs and builds websites, makes digital artwork, manages creative content and design, and fixes the computers.

Maggy Moyo
Organiser, North West

Maggy is the Organiser for Manchester and Liverpool These Walls Must Fall (TWMF) campaign. She is passionate about advocating for human rights including the rights of migrants, marginalised groups and those of vulnerable women, children, the disabled and the elderly. She fights against social injustice and advocates for equality. She is involved with a few organisations in Manchester that are fighting for the same cause, including LISG Manchester, Manchester Rape Crisis, Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe and is in the Executive Committee of the North Branch UK. She is also involved in initiatives promoting the welfare and education of girls and young women in Southern Africa.

Yumna Kamel
Legal Education Officer

Yumna joined Right to Remain in February 2022 as the team’s Legal Education Officer. Her work is centred upon empowering affected communities by listening to their needs, and ensuring that they are made aware of their rights within the immigration & asylum system. Yumna is also the Executive Director and co-founder of Earth Refuge, where she focuses on filling the gaps in legal protection for climate migrants. When she isn’t doing legal stuff, she’s talking about, eating, or cooking food. @YumnaKamel

Leah Cowling
Legal Education Officer

Leah joined Right to Remain as the organisation’s second Legal Education Officer in December 2022. She has a PGDL in Law, and a masters in International Human Rights Law. Before joining Right to Remain, Leah was working as an asylum support and crisis caseworker in Glasgow. She is inspired by community-driven approaches to achieving transformative social justice and in her free time, likes foraging for free food.

Esther Doherty
Engagement and Operation Officer

Esther joined Right to Remain in February 2023 as Engagement and Operations Officer. Day to day, her role centres on connecting with new and existing allies in the sector, strengthening our goal of radical solidarity. She is responsible for the logistics and planning of all workshops, events and training sessions. Esther also manages the internal organisational systems and processes in an effort to streamline the operations of Right to Remain. Prior to joining the team, Esther worked at West London Welcome, a community centre for migrants in Hammersmith, and completed an MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies at SOAS.