We are constantly bombarded with statistics about the numbers of migrants coming to the UK. People come here for a variety of reasons. Many arrive legally, some do not. At our May meeting we welcomed two recent migrants from very different countries, but with something in common, it was almost impossible for them to stay safely at home.
How and why did you come to UK?
Zohra arrived here with her family from Afghanistan. Her father had worked for the Afghan Government catching international smugglers, a role in which he was supported by the UK Government. Although her father came from another province, she was brought up in Kabul. Her family were supportive and didn’t treat her differently as a girl. However she spent a lot of time at home for fear of being judged by the cultural expectations of those around them. She finished primary, secondary schools and college, but university was not normal for girls as they were expected to get married. As a child Zohra had dreams of becoming a doctor.
Once the Taliban took over Zohra knew they would have to leave. They weren’t able to leave when Western forces pulled out. The Taliban then targeted government employees and people who had worked with western countries. Every day they feared the Taliban would find her father or her family. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) helped the family escape. It took 18 months to be approved and then they were given 12 hours notice to pack and move to Pakistan by car. After a very nerve wracking drive, they lived in Pakistan for five months before being transferred to a camp in Wales, where they found the people very kind.
What surprised you about the UK?
At school Zohra’s favourite subject was English, but she never thought she would move to England. Her English teacher had told them, if you speak one language you have one personality, if you speak more languages you have more personalities. Zohra speaks four languages and believes this to be true. Her language skills have been really crucial in helping her family and other Afghan families negotiate some of the unfamiliar aspects of life in UK. Among these are how to use buses, the banking system and how to pay for goods. In Afghanistan all prices are up for haggling, but she has not tried this in the UK and is getting used to fixed prices! She has also found the education and working system very different. The most disappointing things she has found are not having the right certificates to get into university and having to pay taxes!
Zohra has been a huge help at the Afghan hub in Amesbury. She is able to translate information to fellow Afghani women and also help them make themselves understood.
What next?
Zohra hopes to make her parents proud, help her friends both here and back in Afghanistan. She wants to continue her education, to teach and study dentistry. She is grateful that she was raised at a time when girls were educated. Many people in the provinces still believe it is not right to educate their daughters.
Zohra now recognises that many problems in Afghanistan stemmed from different groups fighting each other. She feels sad that she did not speak out and that people should unite together to fight issues like climate change, not each other. Since she has left, she has changed her views and now thinks it is not right that girls and boys are treated differently. She is happy that she can now speak openly about her hopes and fears. She would like to go back to Afghanistan one day, but not as long as the Taliban are in charge. She is still in touch with many friends there and is sad that her girls friends have no options apart from getting married.
What can we do?
It is difficult to know what we can do to help women in Afghanistan. At the moment their priority is to survive. The Friends of Afghan Women Network is working to connect and support women in Afghanistan and remind them they are not alone. Other organisations are working to support education for women online and using community radio.
Fleeing War
We also welcomed Olena who has been living in Wiltshire since Russia invaded Ukraine. She is from Mariupol, one of the worst affected cities. She came to live with her sponsor in a quiet village, which was a huge relief to be away from the war and allowed her to recover. However it was a challenge to live in a village with an unreliable bus service when she was used to living in a city.
Olena had learned English in secondary school, but never planned to move to the UK. Now she has somewhere to live and is working in a factory. The Ukrainian hub, which provided Ukrainians with somewhere to meet up and share experiences, was very supportive and thinks it is not something she could find in Ukraine. She enjoyed having time for a cup of tea and seeing so many smiles – in Ukraine people don’t smile! She has learned to drink tea with milk, although still drinks it black at home! She likes being in the UK.
Olena was a software developer in Ukraine, but wanted to work more with people so re-trained to be a life coach working with children. Her daughter decided to stay in Ukraine. She is working as a teacher in villages to support the children and improve the standard of education. Many of the children now study online because of the bombing. Those who study off line go to bomb shelters every day. The children are all stressed from the constant bombing. The end of the war will be a relief, but they are concerned about what will follow.
Gratitude
After hearing from our two guests we all felt huge gratitude that we have not experienced the conflict and upheaval that they have. We are so lucky to live in a country at peace and which is governed, on the whole, in our interests and where women and girls can pursue their dreams. Yes, we have to pay taxes, and we have not yet achieved equality in all spheres, but we do have stability. peace and a welfare state. And we are lucky enough to be able to offer a helping hand to our guests from overseas.