As part of Refugee Week 2022, Arifa, our Equity Officer, who arrived in the UK as a refugee from Afghanistan, paints a picture of what it’s like to flee from your home country…
When war and abuse collide, the result is almost always millions of refugees.
According to UNHCR, around 89.3 million people worldwide were forcefully displaced last year. For those who are displaced due to conflict, abuse, climate change and extreme poverty, they only seek asylum - a new home.
Refugees can be anyone: teachers, students, journalists, doctors, engineers and farmers. But war takes everything from you, so when you leave your country, you are only called a refugee. But that is not our name, it is not our identity. If they didn't force us, we wouldn't leave. If they didn't destroy our homes, we would stay.
For me, being a refugee is the feeling that I can never return to my homeland - the place where I grew up, and where I have so many beautiful memories.
Can you imagine being forced to leave your home? Leaving the friends you’ve known for years? You can't even say goodbye. You have no choice but to run and to leave it all behind. You pass demolished houses and cities soaked in ash. You only run faster, not stopping to take a breath. Instead of sunshine, only the smoke from rockets fills the sky.
You run from the city to the provinces, from province to border. You wait days and nights with a hungry stomach in hot and cold weather. You cross the gate, even though your family is left behind. They shoot your dad; they rape your sister and burn your brother. You might ask for a sip of water, but they throw petrol on your face. They ask which region you’re in, what identity you hold, what language you speak, and if you have money.
As if that isn’t enough, when a refugee arrives in a new region, they must learn how to survive. They miss everything they belonged to - their native language, their home, their neighbours, their friends, their traditions - but the struggles and challenges don’t end there. They now face different challenges as they must establish a new life and identity. There are barriers of structural racism, language, poverty and culture. The most chronic is mental health and trauma, lack of integration and access to an education.
Many who left are not uneducated, but many will lose their self-esteem as they have to start their education from the beginning. But the limited support mechanisms lead to a loss of motivation, which has a huge impact on mental wellbeing. Worrying about their families and supporting them financially adds another heavy responsibility. All these barriers cause refugees to feel isolated. Many refugees also have children living in neighbouring countries under the refugee camps, but there’s no access to education and basic living costs. Despite all this, refugees are strongly committed to being active citizens. They still have the resilience and determination to reach their dreams of educating themselves.
So now Refugee Week is over, let’s continue to recognise the achievements of refugees and the impact they have in their host country and community. Let’s be kind to those displaced people who have escaped from war zones. Don’t judge them. Let's not discriminate against them if they can't speak without an accent. It’s not their fault they are still connected with their native language. Let's not exclude them; we must give them access to opportunities. They have many lived experiences in their countries, and much to give. They have the power to learn and to fight these challenges and to continue standing strong.
Our Volunteering Service can help you find ways to support refugees and asylum seekers today. Browse the volunteering opportunities directory.