Meet our craft and chat group

At a weekly craft and chat group, refugee women find support and new friendships, building their confidence and their language skills together. Louise, Ayanto, Hanan and Nemat tell us what the group means to them.

Louise

"I’ve been helping this group, it’s a weekly craft and chat group, it’s been going for two years now, we sometimes have fifteen people or more, it gets busier and busier!

Their skills have flourished and so have the friendships within the group, there’s lots of support for each other.

Volunteering is incredible – it’s enjoyable, fun, and getting to know the women has been a delight. In fact I’ve had a really tricky year last year, and volunteering has been what’s kept me going, it’s definitely a two way thing. It’s just a really special experience to be involved in."

Ayanto

"Coming to this group, I learn things, I socialise with new people, and I talk to my friends. I’ve come with my little boy, he’s three.

I love my previous home, and my new home – both of them. I’m thankful to the people of the UK, I’m so happy here. Today, it was my first time on the sewing machine. It was brilliant, Louise helped a lot. She’s taught us a lot, how to do crochet, sewing on the machine, drawing too, she’s unbelievable."

Hanan

"I’m doing some crochet. I’m making something to go on the table. I come to the group to spend time with my friends, and to communicate with the team, who are very helpful.

Sheffield is a brilliant city, the people here are so kind and welcoming. They are so warm.

In the past, the war in Sudan was in some regions, but now the war is everywhere, and people have to flee for safety, going from place to place to place."

Nemat

"They asked us to think of something that means home for us. I thought I’d do a hand – it’s the helping hand that I got here in the UK. Although I’m happy here, I miss home, so I wrote in Arabic – ‘Sudan, you are dear to me, my homeland.’ I’m going to put it on the fabric.

I’m thankful to the whole team, they taught us things and introduced us to new experiences. It’s really helpful and enjoyable.

We were foreigners who came to a new country. What we like most here is the safety that we feel, we feel very safe here in the UK." ◆

Activities like the craft and chat group help refugees to rebuild their confidence and feel part of their new communities. Help us provide a warmer welcome to refugee women who arrive in the UK after escaping war and persecution.