REFUGEE SUPPORT FUND TAREK'S STORY
Our Refugee Support Fund provides small grants of up to £200 to refugees and asylum seekers in Elmbridge and the surrounding area.
We launched the fund in February and have already awarded more than 30 grants. We spoke to Tarek to find out how your money helped him.
We launched the fund in February and have already awarded more than 30 grants. We spoke to Tarek to find out how your money helped him.
MAKING A HOUSE A HOME - TAREK'S STORY
Sitting in his new home with his wife and children, Tarek* knew the worst was over. The roof over his head, the sofa he sat on and the rug his children played on were evidence, not just that he was safe, but that he was welcome… that the community was looking after them. Tarek didn't want to leave Damascus. Even though his uncle and cousins had been killed, it was still his home. He had a secure job as a taxi driver and his wife was pregnant with their third child. But when the Syrian Government started conscripting men into the army, he had no choice. Several months later – and after a journey that took him through Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Serbia and France – Tarek reached the UK. He was safe. But it’s not easy to be an asylum seeker in Britain. He was finally offered a flat for him and his family after weeks of living in a run-down hostel. But the flat was in terrible condition and he had no furniture. Like all asylum seekers, Tarek received a Government allowance of £5 per day to live on… nowhere near enough to clean or furnish the flat. He had just a few days to decide whether to take the flat and called Elmbridge CAN for advice. The response? Take it and we’ll help you. What happened next is enough to make anyone question the idea that refugees can damage community cohesion. We asked the community for donations and people responded with incredible generosity – donating a rug, beds, mattresses, quilts, a sofa, a cooker and even a car to Tarek and his family. But people also donated to our Refugee Support Fund, which gives small grants to refugees and asylum seekers to help them get back on their feet. Tarek applied and was awarded a grant. With this money he was able to buy the few things he still needed for the flat. When his family finally arrived – it had been a long application process for family reunification – they still had no home to go to. One Elmbridge resident offered to take his wife and 3 children (now 7, 3 and 1) into her home while the Tarek and the community refurbished the flat. Finally back on his feet, Tarek is determined to find work and build a new life here. “Now my children have a future,” he told us. HOW YOU CAN HELP If you want to help more people like Tarek, please donate to our Refugee Support Fund and share this story with your friends. *The names in this story have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved. |
The kitchen before it was cleaned and refurbished
Image: Susan Eade / Elmbridge CAN Tarek's children enjoying their new lounge
Image: Susan Eade / Elmbridge CAN
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