Stories tagged Challenges
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“Although being thanked was never our main motivation on some level we did expect gratitude”
A volunteer acknowledges that she expected gratitude from the refugee family that her Group supports. She examines the roots of these expectations and explains how she came to understand her role better once she confronted these expectations.
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“Well, now you have sons”
Community Sponsorship volunteer Svenja Powell is one of the founding members of Canterbury Welcomes Refugees. The group first welcomed a Syrian refugee family in 2019: a mother and father, their two grown-up sons and their two primary-age children. Here Svenja tells us about lifting language barriers, a cautious introduction to Father Christmas and doorstep story-telling during lockdown.
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“I felt like I had someone from my family with me that day.”
Rashed, Amira and their three daughters arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2019. The warm welcome they received from the Small World Community Sponsorship Group and their neighbours has developed into real friendships that have supported them through the pandemic and the arrival of a fourth daughter.
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“I’ll never be able to put into words just how happy I was in that moment at the airport.”
Mamoun was resettled in Devon with his wife Amneh and their 5 children after fleeing Syria. He explains the impact that resettlement has had on his family and the joy of reuniting with his brother.
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“You can’t impose empowerment”
Community Sponsorship naturally attracts people who want to help others. You get involved because you want to help refugees in a practical way. But sometimes helping people can disempower them. So how do you empower newly arrived refugees rather than simply help them? Eveline, a Community Sponsor in Bristol, gives us her reflections on this question.
