We’re Proud To Be Helping Families Fleeing War

We have all seen the news reports of the terrible conflict in Syria and consequent refugee crisis over the past few years. What these people – particularly the children – have witnessed and experienced first-hand is beyond comprehension. So we here at Sefton Supported Housing Group feel immense pride that we have been able to accommodate and support Syrian refugee families over the past year.

Following the international outcry at the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Syria and across the Mediterranean, then Prime Minister David Cameron announced in 2015 that the UK would help resettle 20,000 refugees by 2020. As part of the national plan, Sefton Local Authority agreed to accept 100 refugees by 2020.  As a major provider of supported accommodation in the region, we at SSHG agreed to help Sefton meet their targets and the wheels were set in motion at the United Nations and the Home Office to bring families to the UK.

Our first families arrived at the beginning of last year, so have now had twelve months to settle in. Here, we highlight the experience of two of the families to give you an idea of how our new residents are getting on.

The first family arrived in UK in February 2017, so have now completed one year of support. In Syria, Dad was a head-teacher and Mum was a teacher, they ran a small school and had a nice, settled life. Once the bombing started in their hometown of Hamas, the family fled to Lebanon. They stayed in a refugee camp there until they where moved to the UK with their two children age four and two – Mum was also pregnant. During his time in Lebanon, Dad worked as a volunteer helping other refugees settling into the camp, and he also worked for the Red Cross distributing food to fellow Syrian asylum seekers.

On arrival in the UK the family spoke no English at all; they spoke a little French and some Farsi, so communication was difficult. The parents go to ESOL (education for speakers of other languages) classes four days a week, whilst both children go to the private day nursery that is attached to the ESOL centre. Both parents’ English has improved rapidly under the expert tutelage provided at ESOL. Mum was able to return to ESOL after her baby was born, which meant that she was able to continue studying and improving her language skills.

Mum enjoys volunteering with a local group of older community members and this has enabled her to practice her conversational skills and obtain valuable cultural experience. This has helped the whole family to settle in and gain first-hand knowledge of local customs and traditions. Dad has expressed an interest in volunteering in the community and will be starting at the local food bank soon.

The children have learned English quickly and are progressing well. Learning English has helped the family to settle in the local community and take part in volunteer work that, in turn, has improved their confidence and their ability to communicate. They both hope to return to teaching and have recently selected courses to pursue independently. Both are doing an introduction to teacher training course (in English) and Dad has now progressed to a local college course where he is hoping to move on to UK exams such as GCSE.

The second family arrived in April 2017 and have now nearly completed one year of support. The family, also originally from Hamas in Syria, arrived in the UK after staying in a refugee camp in Lebanon for four years. In Syria, Dad was a lorry driver, and his wife looked after their children and home. The bombing in Hamas took the lives of ten members of their family – including three of Dad’s children. Dad fled to Lebanon with his wife and their two very young children (aged two and one) and remained there until they where moved to the UK.

On arrival in the UK the family spoke no English at all, so communication was difficult. In Syria, Dad had no formal education and was employed in manual labour from the age of ten. Mum has had no education at all, so the opportunity for both of them to attend school has been very welcome. The family went initially to ESOL for four days a week, whilst both children attended the private day nursery at the ESOL centre.

Both parents’ English has progressed well, as they have both been able to continue to attend ESOL. Dad is keen to keep learning and is very confident in the local community. The family take part in local activities, are often seen in the local area taking the children out to play, and have learned to shop and mix with other members of community.

Their parents learning English has helped the children by improving their confidence, so the family can be part of a community. This is especially important for Dad after the loss of his first children. Mum returned to ESOL after having her baby, which meant Mum was able to continue studying and continue improving her language skills. This family is very traditional Muslim, so Mum was initially very shy, but attending ESOL has boosted her confidence and helped her to mix with others more easily. The children have quickly learned English and are progressing well. Mum even had the confidence to bring the children on a residential trip with other women in the community. Without the basic English she has learnt, this would not have been possible.

Learning English has given the family the confidence to settle in the local community and take part in volunteer work. This has also meant they mix with people who they may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. Mum now attends community groups and can chat with other people, and Dad volunteers in a local homeless shelter. Dad enjoys fishing with other local men and has met many friends through this. The children directly benefit from this because their parents are happy and able to teach them at home.

It is also important to mention that our support workers have enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from our new residents. Supporting the Syrian families has been a challenge in some ways (not least the language barrier) but everybody agrees it’s been such a rewarding and worthwhile project. We look forward to greeting more families in the coming years.