Project Active
A project by Mendee CIC
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GLA Poverty Prevention Challenge Winner 2023

AI-powered support
for refugees in the UK

SiBot (Social Impact Bot) is a multilingual AI information hub built for refugees and asylum seekers. Helping people access NHS services and navigate their integration into UK society — in English, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, and Ukrainian.

Visit StartNewLife.uk → Partner with us
2,000+
Community members
1,000+
Individuals impacted
7
Languages supported
£48K
GLA grant delivered
About

What SiBot does

SiBot helps refugees and asylum seekers access NHS services and navigate their integration into UK society — GP registration, healthcare, housing, benefits, employment, and legal support — in their own language, at any time of day.

🤖

AI Chatbot

Multilingual conversational AI trained on UK asylum, healthcare, and integration information. Available in English, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, and Ukrainian.

📚

Information Hub

Comprehensive guides on every stage of the asylum journey — from screening interviews to Section 95 housing, ARC cards, GP registration, work permits, and appeal procedures.

👥

Community

A peer support network of 2,000+ refugees and asylum seekers across Telegram and WhatsApp. Real questions, real answers, real-time — with casework support from our team.

🎬

Video Content

YouTube channel with detailed walkthroughs on asylum interviews, appeals, first steps in the UK, and practical guidance — in Russian and other community languages.

Recognition

Mayor of London — Poverty Prevention Challenge

🏆
Challenge
LDN
Winner 2023

Funded by the Greater London Authority

SiBot was selected as a winner of the GLA's Poverty Prevention Challenge — a programme run by the Mayor of London to support innovative solutions tackling poverty in London. The project received £48,000 in total grant funding (£5,000 in Phase 1 and £43,000 in Phase 2) and was delivered between August 2023 and January 2024, with full reporting and milestone delivery to the GLA's satisfaction.

£48,000 Total grant funding
6 months Delivery period
100% Milestones met
Timeline

From prototype to ecosystem

SiBot started as an AI chatbot prototype. It evolved into a full-scale community support platform serving thousands of refugees across the UK.

December 2022
Community founded
Start New Life UK launched as a Russian-speaking Telegram community for refugees and asylum seekers. Organic growth through word-of-mouth.
June 2023
GLA grant awarded
SiBot selected as a winner of the Mayor of London's Poverty Prevention Challenge. £48,000 in total grant funding secured (Phase 1: £5,000 + Phase 2: £43,000) to build an AI-powered information hub for refugees.
August — September 2023
User research & design
7 user personas developed. Visual language and interface designed based on community feedback and focus groups.
November 2023
Prototype launched
SiBot Hub deployed at sibot.mendee.digital with multilingual AI chatbot, organisation catalogue, and CV builder.
January 2024
Project delivered
197 web app users in the first month. 631 active chat participants. 1,129 Telegram subscribers. 8 refugee volunteers onboarded. Multilingual support verified across multiple languages. Final report submitted to GLA.
2024 — 2025
Organic growth
Community grew to 2,000+ members. StartNewLife.uk launched as a comprehensive information portal. Asylum casework programme started — preparing cases for unrepresented applicants. Mendee CIC incorporated (Co. No. 15445605).
2026 — Now
SiBot v2: AI reborn
Rebuilding the AI component on open-source local models (Ollama, Open WebUI). RAG-powered knowledge base built from StartNewLife.uk content. Zero-cost infrastructure running on dedicated hardware in our London office.
Next
Scale with funding
Grant applications to National Lottery, The Fore, Trust for London, Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Expanding language coverage, integrating with NHS data, and providing SiBot as a tool for other refugee-supporting organisations.
Technology

Built on open-source AI

SiBot v2 runs entirely on open-source infrastructure hosted in our London office. No external API costs. No data leaving our servers. Full control over privacy and performance.

AI Engine
Ollama + Open WebUI
Local large language models running on Apple Silicon. Llama, Mistral, Gemma — open-source, free, and fully private.
Knowledge Base
RAG Pipeline
Retrieval-Augmented Generation built on StartNewLife.uk content and verified asylum information. The bot answers from facts, not guesses.
Infrastructure
Local Server
Dedicated hardware running 24/7 in our office at Workspace Lock Studios, London E3. Cloudflare Tunnel for secure public access. No cloud dependencies.
Languages
7 Languages
English, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, and Ukrainian. Focused on Central Asian and Eastern European refugee communities in the UK.
Privacy
Zero Data Export
All processing happens locally. No user data sent to external APIs. No cloud dependencies. GDPR-compliant by design.
Cost
£0/month
Open-source models, own hardware, own office. No API fees, no hosting bills. Grant funding goes to content, languages, and outreach — not infrastructure.
What's Next

Roadmap

SiBot has proven the concept. The community is active. The technology is ready. Here's where we're going next.

01

Telegram & WhatsApp Integration

Bring the AI chatbot directly into the community channels where 2,000+ people already are. No new app to download — SiBot meets users where they live.

02

Expanded Knowledge Base

Add verified content on appeals, fresh claims, family reunion, Section 4 support, and local authority services. Curated by caseworkers, not scraped from the web.

03

SiBot for Organisations

Offer SiBot as a tool for other refugee charities, local councils, and grassroots organisations. White-label AI support trained on their specific services and catchment areas.

04

Grant-Funded Scaling

Applications to National Lottery Awards for All, The Fore, Trust for London, and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Target: £110K–£145K in Year 1 to fund a coordinator, printed materials, and expanded language support.

Press & Media

In the news

SiBot and the Poverty Prevention Challenge have been covered by London City Hall, national tech media, and international business press.

London
City Hall
Challenge LDN: Poverty Prevention
Official GLA page featuring SiBot as a Challenge winner, supporting London's 130,000+ refugee population with AI-powered digital tools.
2023
→
London
City Hall
AI startups among winners of Mayor's tech challenge to help Londoners
Mayor of London announces winning tech companies and AI firms receiving funding to bring innovative ideas to support Londoners struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Jul 2023
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Business
Matters
AI startups among winners of Mayor's tech challenge
"We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized as winners of the Poverty Prevention Challenge. This signifies an endorsement of our dedication towards social change."
Jul 2023
→
Techerati
Mayor of London awards £350K to AI firms battling poverty
Mendee won funding to support refugees in London. The startup was built using OpenAI's ChatGPT and can translate in more than 50 languages.
Jul 2023
→
Cities
Today
Winners of London's poverty prevention challenge
Mendee offers AI-powered tools to help non-profit organisations support refugees with language and digital literacy.
Jul 2023
→
Allia Future
Business Centre
Allia partners with GLA to support innovative start-ups
Phase 2 working with the 7 innovators to provide necessary tools and techniques to scale their solutions across London.
Oct 2023
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Crowdfunder
SiBot for Refugees: Make an Impact
Crowdfunding campaign for SiBot — an AI-powered online hub specifically designed for refugees, accessible in over 50 languages.
Jun 2023
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SiBot Hub
SiBot Hub: Your Comprehensive Refugees Support Platform
Unique platform providing access to legal assistance, social services, education, and employment — with multilingual support in native languages.
2024
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Contact

Let's talk

SiBot is open to partnerships with local councils, refugee charities, grant funders, and technology organisations. If you're working on refugee support and want to explore how AI can help — we'd love to hear from you.

Email Us
For partnerships and enquiries

Mendee CIC

Company No. 15445605
Type Community Interest Company
Address Workspace Lock Studios, 7 Corsican Square, London E3 3YD
Directors Alex Choysen, Suhayl Odiljonzoda
Asset Lock TERN — The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network
Sister Company Mendee Digital Ltd (Co. No. 14071822)
Credentials ICO Registered · DBS Checked · ITI Affiliated · Professionally Insured
Grants GLA £48K (SiBot) · Innovate UK £46,550 (Skillanthropy)