"Let us help you to make your countries beautiful" - Mohammad's story
Recently, Caitlin Otway from the Camberwell Clarion, a local newspaper for SE5 in South East London, chatted with Mohammad, one of our Market Stall Managers. Mo has been managing our stall at Camberwell Green Market since joining our Breadwinners Programme in September and has been making a very positive impression with his beautiful smile in the local community ever since. Enjoy the excerpt of the conversation below!
Excerpt from Caitlin Otway’s article in the Camberwell Clarion:
“ In his native Iran, Mohammad was a political activist. “If I return to Iran, I am sure that I will be killed,” he tells me. […] But after arriving alone in England, Mohammad was depressed.
“There were new streets, new buildings, new transport, and I didn’t speak the language. Imagine how that feels. ‘Where can I buy a new sim card? How can I meet people if I can’t communicate?’ It was crazy.”
“Young asylum seekers and refugees want to engage with society. We have lost everything and we come here with nothing. Give us any opportunity to stay and work for your country. We are not able to make ours beautiful anymore, so let us help you to make your countries beautiful.”
One year later, and he’s chatting confidently with me in a cafe after his latest shift at Camberwell Green Market. Despite his long day working in the cold, he is keen to talk and his face lights up when I ask him what he enjoys about working in Camberwell.
“The best thing is engaging with people. If I stay at home and I think about my past and my situation, I can get depressed. But I like coming to the stall to speak to new people here.”
[…]
Mohammad will work on the stall as a market manager for six months and can then move on to the charity’s Proofers Programme, working in the office selling bread to other businesses and learning new skills. When he’s not working on the stall at weekends, he also attends college and eventually wants to go to university to get a degree and begin a career.
[…]
“The best thing is engaging with people. If I stay at home and I think about my past and my situation, I can get depressed. But I like coming to the stall to speak to new people here.”
As Mohammad and I finish our coffees and the conversation turns to more light-hearted topics, like British clothes and how many pastries he thinks he’s consumed since arriving, his face becomes more serious.
He gestures to my notebook and tells me: “Please write this down before we go. Young asylum seekers and refugees want to engage with society. We have lost everything and we come here with nothing. Give us any opportunity to stay and work for your country. We are not able to make ours beautiful anymore, so let us help you to make your countries beautiful.” “
Congratulations Mo for your incredible work with us, we’re so glad to have you! And thank you Caitlin for taking the time to chat with us and promote our work. Read the full feature here!
Join our community by visiting our markets, volunteering as a mentor, or donating!