Refugee Week: We celebrate those who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic

Article By Maryam Qaiser, The Daily Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/refugee-week-celebrate-those-who-22158581

To mark Refugee Week we celebrate the contributions, resilience and creativity of refugees and asylum seekers.

Moving cities to start a new life can be a daunting experience for anyone but imagine being forced to flee your home because of a war.

Many refugees and asylum seekers endure long, painful and desperate journeys - travelling by overcrowded boats, cramped lorries or on foot as they trek in search of safety.

They don’t want to leave their home countries, their family and friends, but when war breaks out they are left with no other option.

Tens of thousands of refugees have arrived in the UK in recent years and the majority have grabbed every opportunity they can to make a better life for themselves in their new homeland by studying, volunteering, working and starting their own businesses.

Today marks the first day of Refugee Week 2020 (15 - 21 June), celebrating the contributions, resilience and creativity of refugees.

This year's theme is Imagine, and there will be an online programme of virtual workshops and activities.

To mark Refugee Week, we've spoken to refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom have been volunteering tirelessly during the Covid-19 pandemic, about their new lives.

Mahmoud Juma is a stall manager at Breadwinners

Mahmoud came to England at the age of 15 without any family or friends. The journey from his home country Sudan took more than a year. Since then, he has been building his confidence and recently enrolled at college to study ESOL. He has also joined Breadwinners - a charity and social enterprise, which sees refugees and asylum seekers sell artisan bread on market stalls across London and has been delivering supplies during the Covid crisis. Mahmoud is now a stall manager for their Victoria Park branch. He is also supported by the Dost Centre, which works with newly-arrived young refugees and newly-arrived migrants.

Mahmoud, 18, says: “Before joining Breadwinners I didn’t have any confidence, I didn’t know any English, but since running the market I have met many different people from different cultures. It has helped my confidence and I really enjoy it.

"When I came to England I felt very lucky, because it was the safest place. It was a very, very painful and tough journey to get here. I faced a lot of challenges. When I first arrived I felt alone and I had no support until I came across some charities including Dost Centre. It was Marian from the Dost Centre who told me about the Breadwinners programme. It is great because I have been able to go camping, play football and make new friends thanks to the support from the centre. I feel this is the beginning of my future.

"During the Covid-19 crisis, I have delivered bread to 100 homes, through our new online orders. I have learnt a lot of skills from Breadwinners which will be valuable for my CV. I have a mentor with Breadwinners who has given me a lot of support, she has been texting me everyday to check I am okay during lockdown. In the future I would like to study and do a job in IT and technology.”

Since Breadwinners was set up in 2016, they have helped 87 refugees and asylum seekers through their two programmes, Risers and Breadwinners.

Risers supports young people who are seeking asylum by giving them work experience as market stall assistants. They also provide training and mentoring so they can build their skills and CV for future employment.

The Breadwinners programme supports refugees with newly received status who are struggling to find work by providing opportunities for their first employment in the UK. They work as market stall managers, earning the UK Living Wage, until they are ready to find full time jobs or run their own business.

Martin Campos, director at Breadwinners, says: "The people we support have something very special, they have gone through so much and faced a lot of challenges, they will cherish every opportunity. It is crazy to see how the people we work with develop and how far they come, from when they first started with us. Some of the people we have supported have gone on to work in nursing, the tourism industry, sales and waitering."

Read the rest of the article at The Daily Mirror