“Home is the community that helps you thrive”…

As Refugee Week continues, Anais, who works in our team to support refugees locally, talks more about why having a safe place to call home is so important for all of us…

Why is Refugee Week important? 

Like all awareness weeks and days, it’s a great opportunity to focus on a group of people often misunderstood. But above all it’s a great opportunity to celebrate those who have overcome so many obstacles to be here to keep pursuing a better life. It’s also a chance to celebrate those who have supported them get there like our volunteers.  

How does Caritas Salford work to support refugees here in Greater Manchester and Lancashire? 

In lots of ways.  For example, our day centres in Cornerstone and Red Door support refugees to navigate the UK systems, whether it’s helping refugees experiencing homelessness, understanding correspondence with health services or other support needs, our passionate caseworkers are there to support them.  

Who are the people that come to receive support? 

Lots of different people come to Caritas for support. 

In our day centres, many people are experiencing poverty or homelessness. These services welcome people regardless of their background and origin, even though most people who attend are born in the UK some are refugees and asylum seekers.  

Our Aspire Education team also helps people who are keen to progress and learn English. These people often want to better understand and be part of UK society by mastering the language. They are often motivated by the fact that having a better level of English increases their chances of finding employment or going on to higher education.  

In the Community Sponsorship team we see families, usually formed of parents and underage children (we have sometimes seen grandparents come as well). Among the 80 million refugees worldwide a few thousands are selected by the United Nations to be resettled as they are extra vulnerable. Most families we see have severe medical needs whether physical or mental often to due to war. Some might be at extra risk in countries where there is less safety, for example households headed by single mums.  

What do you wish you could change about the way refugees are perceived? 

I wish they were not seen as subhumans, people who deserve less because they were not born here. I wish people saw more that they are humans like all of us who happen to be born in unstable countries but through amazing resilience try to find a better life for themselves and their children. One that is not filled with survival but one where they can thrive and contribute. 

The theme of this year’s Refugee Week is around ‘home’ and what it means, it’s importance and significance…what does home mean to you? 

Home for me is where my community and loved ones are. Unfortunately, because of safety and conflict I couldn’t always go back to places I called home. So, the definition of home had to change, it wasn’t anymore the places I grew up in, the familiar street and faces. It became the people who are present now in my life, the people who are here for me and reflect who I am now. It’s the community that helps you thrive.  

Why is having a place to call home or a safe haven you can think of as home important? 

Because safety is one of our basic needs, like food and water. Safety means not worrying about survival. And because of the way we are wired as human beings, when we feel unsafe, when we feel that our lives are threatened, all else is irrelevant. Learning, being happy, connecting with loved ones becomes really difficult. Home is meant to represent that safety, a place where we don’t have to worry about survival, a place where we can recharge to appreciate the beauty and opportunities of life.  

If people could take one message or action away from this year’s Refugee Week activity, what would you hope it would be? 

To be aware that many things that we take for granted like having a home, a loving family, a community around us is a privilege that many in the UK and outside the UK don’t have. The least we can do is have empathy for those who don’t, and if we can we should be active in creating those spaces for them.