When I needed help, there were people to help me
When we explained the furniture was for refugees, he said he’d move everything for free
60 seconds with… Carol, Community Sponsor, Exeter
Why you should rent your property to a refugee family through Community Sponsorship
“Although being thanked was never our main motivation on some level we did expect gratitude”
“My advice to Community Sponsorship groups is that you need to be prepared to really listen to the family and work in partnership with them: you’re not offering a helping hand to helpless people. You also need to be prepared to change and grow yourself. Getting involved in Community Sponsorship forced me to learn and develop.” A volunteer acknowledges that she expected gratitude from the refugee family that her group supports. She explains how she came to understand her role better once she confronted these expectations.
“It’s important for me to tell them that people will accept them and they will have freedom here.”
Khadeja and her family were the first family to be welcomed to North Devon by the Pickwell Foundation, almost five years ago. Khadeja now works for the Pickwell Foundation, helping to support other refugee families arriving in the UK through Community Sponsorship. Here she tells us why this job is so important to her.
“As a Ukrainian living in the UK this is how I look after my own mental health”
Yuliia Matalinets is from Ukraine. She was matched with hosts in Bristol by Reset. Here she reflects on what helps her manage her mental health after she was forcibly displaced.
60 seconds with… Della
Della worked with a small team of volunteers to welcome three refugee nurses to Great Yarmouth. Find out why she got involved in Neighbours for Newcomers and what advice she has for other volunteers.
“I really believe that Community Sponsorship has changed the course of my life.”
Sam, a refugee from Syria, arrived in the UK in 2017 through the Community Sponsorship scheme. In this blog he shares his Community Sponsorship story – from being welcomed to the UK to preparing to welcome a new family as a volunteer himself.
We were one unit, one spirit, one humanity
