Tesfom is Asylum Programmes Manager at the Refugee Council.
“For a refugee, Christmas can be a time when you think about your loss and remember the past. You feel the pain in your wounds more because your family is not around you.
At Christmas, most people spend time with their loved ones, but refugees and asylum seekers are often left alone, and services are closed, when everyone else goes home. That leaves you with a feeling of isolation, especially if you’re stuck in asylum accommodation, without money to spare for celebrations.
A refugee would like to be with their family, but often can’t. As an asylum seeker, that’s how I felt many years back.
A refugee would like to be with their family, but often can’t. To me, as an asylum seeker who went through that, and as someone now working at the Refugee Council, that’s what I see now, and how I felt many years back.
It was a surprise to me the first time I spent Christmas in the UK. In Eritrea we celebrate Orthodox Christmas, and I had lots of exposure to Catholic missionaries. Celebrations in Eritrea are very religious, here in the UK the cultural and family aspects are different, it’s very commercial here too. It took time for me to adjust.
There are often fireworks, which can be scary for someone from a war zone.
The main difference for me was being alone, and not around my family. It felt very, very cold and dark. In the last two months of the year there are often fireworks, which can be scary for someone from a war zone. Even if you know there will be fireworks it can be quite traumatic.
Refugees come here from all walks of life. If you think about a refugee who is a mum – Christmas is a time when she wants her children around her, and if her children can’t be with her, that makes it more painful. For a dad, who might have had to leave unexpectedly – it’s a time when he wants to be in his house, providing safety, bread, security, he will not be there, he’ll be dearly missing that. For a separated teenager, he or she won’t be getting that support, and will really miss his or her parents and siblings. The future will seem bleak and uncertain, and on Christmas Day this feeling can be worse.
At the Refugee Council, we organise events to help refugees adapt to life in the UK.
At the Refugee Council, we try to remain open as much as possible over the holiday. Asylum seekers and refugees come to us with lots of issues – it could be a racially motivated hate incident, or they could be at risk of becoming homeless. Refugees from other religious backgrounds might also feel isolation and loneliness at this time. We offer practical advice and help, organise events, and help with essential items, hardship payments, or small gifts for refugee children.
There are lots of things that people can do to support refugees at this time of year. Local groups can invite refugees or people who are claiming asylum if they have trips, carol services, or parties. Things like that help people feel less alone. People who want to help can also donate to organisations like the Refugee Council. Every little makes a difference – the more resources we have, the more we can do.”
Help us support more refugees over the holidays, by making a donation today.
