MAKING A DIFFERENCE
to the lives of refugees
The Eritrean
Refugees Support Association in
the United Kingdom (ERSA-UK) organised a successful launch conference on Thursday
31st May 2012 at the Westminster County Hall in London.
The
main aim of this full day conference was to highlight the challenges Eritrean
refugees are facing in the United Kingdom as well as in the refugee camps in
places such as Ethiopia and the Sudan and discuss what might be done to help. The conference
sought to identify UK and international organisations actively working with
refugees and explore ways to cooperate and work together to make a difference
to the life of refugees.
Mr.
Amanuel Mesghina, Chair of ERSA-UK, opened the conference by introducing
ERSA-UK and its objectives which are to carry activities to help Eritrean
Refugees to build their life in the UK, and also to mobilize material help for
those languishing in Refugee camps in Ethiopia and Sudan. Amanuel explained that getting sanctuary
in the United Kingdom is not a panacea that would solve all the problems of
refugees. There are many challenges to overcome. Their educational level is low
and knowledge of English is poor, many experiencing difficulties accessing
basic skills training and higher education that increases employment
opportunities.” In addition many find themselves homeless or live in squalid accommodations. Many suffer from traumatic experiences
with mental health problems. These are some of the challenges that the refugees
face and they need support particularly from their communities to build a good
life in the UK.
As a
humanitarian organisation, ERSA UK’s main focus is to help Eritrean refugees in
the United Kingdom to transform themselves from dependency to independent life.
To do this ERSA UK seeks volunteers to solicit expert advice, skills training
and services. At the same time to solicit aid from the British public and
international organisations to help refugees in the camps.
The
Chair of ERSA UK then invited Ms. Nazek Ramadan, Director of Migrant Voice, to
chair the first session: Issues affecting
asylum seekers and refugees in the UK today. The presentations highlighted
the challenges faced by refugee professionals in securing employment (presented
by Ms. Sheila Head, Director of Transitions); problems in securing social
housing especially for single persons and large families that are dependent on
the Benefit System (presented by Mr. Dorian Leatham, Chief Executive, African
Refugee Housing Association, ARHAG); employment issues and the availability of
skills training and volunteering opportunities offered by refugee and
mainstream organisations relevant to refugees with different experiences,
interests and skills (by Dr. Zibiah Alfred, Development Worker, Evelyn Oldfield
Unit) and the challenges faced by refugees in forming strong communities and
integrating into the wider UK society (by Ms. Zrinka Bralo, Director of MRCF).
All the speakers underscored that, with the current economic climate, where
services and community activities are continuously becoming underfunded, and
the need for more coordinated effort within and across communities become paramount.
They stressed that community leaders and members must be more creative than
ever and think outside the box in an environment where unemployment is growing
and social housing is becoming scarce, especially for single people and those
with more than three children.
The
second session, chaired by the long-time friend of Eritrea, Mr. Andy Greg,
Director of the Charity Evaluation Services, was on Issues affecting Eritreans and their families in the Diaspora. The
presentations were on the plight of Eritrean refugee and humanitarian needs
(presented by Ms. Selam Kidane, Director of Release Eritrea); the tragedy of
trafficking (by Ms. Kiara Skirivankova, Trafficking Programme Coordinator of
Anti-Slavery International) and basic needs of Eritrean refugees in refugee
camps in Ethiopia (by Mr. Petros
Tesfagherghis ERSA-UK’s Coordinator). The session also included a message sent
from Washington DC from the International Commission for Eritrean Refugees,
ICER, who were unable to attend the conference in person. The presentation
highlighted the gruesome experiences many Eritrean refugees go through,
including rape, organ trafficking and death at the hands of human traffickers
and border security personnel. Individuals’ plights often continue in countries
such as Israel where, although signatory to the Geneva Convention, refugees are subjected to inhumane treatment, face racist
discrimination from the public and the state security and find themselves
threatened with eviction. Eritrean refugees in Ethiopian refugee camps, mainly
composed of young people, face acute shortages of food, clothing, educational,
sanitary and health materials.
Questions
from the floor were collected for speakers after each panel session and further
discussion continued between delegates over the lunch break.
Two
topics were presented after lunch: Refugee
mental health (by Dr. Angela Burnet, Freedom from Torture, Medical
Foundation) and Achievements and
challenges working with refugees (by Rita Chadha, Director of Refugee and
Migrant Forum of East London). Dr. Burnet revealed that the number of refugees
with physical and mental health problems in the UK is disproportionally high.
She also explained that people may experience multiple losses due to previous
experiences, cultural bereavement and the discrimination they may face as
refugees. A holistic approach is needed in addressing mental health problems in
order to foster independence and resilience. Ms. Chadha highlighted issues,
such as racism and discrimination, reported by some refugees which may be
exacerbated by the current economic climate in the UK.
Dr.
Maknun Ashami, Lecturer, University of London, introduced the parallel workshop
sessions. Conference participants
divided into three groups. Each group addressed one of the following three
topics: a) what are the most burning
issues that refugees and refugee communities face? How can we work together on
these issues? Led by Belay Kahsai, community Development worker, Manchester
refugees support network b) what
causes conflict between groups? How can we overcome conflict and maximise
cooperation for the benefit of the community? (Led by Walid Abdullah,
Vice-chair, Sudanese Community in Sussex); c) What difficulties do refugees living in dispersal areas in the UK face
and how can they be addressed? (Led by Dr. Mebrahtu Ateweberhan, Secretary
ERSA-UK). The key points raised by each group were then shared in a plenary
discussion session led by Dr. Maknun Ashami. The current fragmented nature of the Eritrean community in
the UK and the need for a concerted effort of people from all backgrounds to
address the challenges faced by refugees were both highlighted within the
conference. Delegates were encouraged to reflect on the conference and
suggestions for further actions through conference feedback and evaluation
forms.
ERSA-UK thanks the speakers and audience of the conference.
We thank the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, for providing the
conference hall free of charge.
The initial work of ERSA-UK, including this conference was
supported by the Big Lottery Fund.
A
detailed version of this report will be out on due course. Stay tuned at: http://www.ersauk.com
Conference Team
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