About Us

About Us

We are here for the welfare of Diego Garcians and other Chagossian Communities

Our main aims are:

To empower people to access services, and to reach their potential
To promote leisure, healthy living and to revitalize culture
To encourage Entrepreneurship in the UK and in the British Indian Ocean Territory for Diego Garcians and other Chagossian people
Work in Partnership with other service providers and organisations for the welfare of communities
To engage in the protection of the British Indian Ocean Territory

WORK IN THE COMMUNITY

_{We give a wide range of services to our community at our office in the centre of Crawley.}

_{_{We have helped 1500 Diego Garcians to settle in the UK these past five years}}

_{_{Help with filling of different forms e.g Benefit, Job application and others}}

_{_{Accompany them on certain interviews because of the language barrier}}

_{_{Help the elderly and others to access local services and facilities and do representations on their behalf}}

_{_{Organising social gathering to revitalize culture}}

_{_{Help them to access courses that are run in Crawley that will empower them}}

_{_{Organising Healthy cooking sessions}}

_{_{Running of the ' Plantation Club' where different activities are run for the old and others}}

_{_{Help to other communities whenever they are referred to us}}

_{_{Organising orientation sessions to help new arrivals in the community}}

The Diego Garcian Society was founded by Allen Vincatassin ( Patron), who pioneered a settlement of the Diego Garcians and other people of the British Indian Ocean Territory

( formerly known as Chagos Archipelago) in the UK. The first group arrived in the UK on the 16th of September 2002.The community grew from 19 to about 1000 people in five years.

These people were exiled from their homeland for the building of a US military base. They gained the right of abode in the UK and on the EEA under the British Overseas Territories Bill 2002.

The Diego Garcian Society is managed by a Managing Commitee.

The team that is working in the Society are well experienced, and have been working with their community for more than five years, under various unofficial group names.

Supporting and Empowering

For integration and cohesion