Authenticating...
By: Communications
Last week was Refugee Week, a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. In the year that saw Russia invade Ukraine, the need to support refugees and asylum seekers has intensified.
UEA has introduced and highlighted a number of initiatives for staff who are keen to support the humanitarian effort in aid of those affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
But some members of staff have gone one step further, and opened their homes to those seeking sanctuary. One such member is Laura Potts (pictured above), News and Media Manager in UEA’s Content and Communications team, who has taken in a Ukrainian mother and son.
We sat down with Laura, who explains how bringing the two of them into her home has been a life-changing experience for her and her family, what her favourite new Ukrainian words are and why she has no regrets about the experience.
What made you want to take in Ukrainian refugees?
Our family has always donated to humanitarian causes, such as a monthly direct debit to the British Red Cross and giving to UNHCR emergency appeals. We would have offered to host refugees previously but didn’t know how – so when the Homes for Ukraine scheme opened up, we signed up within the first hour. But we were naïve to think it would just happen as a result of that; we were entirely on our own and had to work our way through the whole process, starting with finding an individual to connect with.
I moved to the UK 17 years ago and only knew my husband, but I wasn’t fleeing a traumatic situation with no belongings, worrying about loved ones left behind, fearful for the future. Also, English is my first language so while I don’t pretend to make any comparisons with refugees coming here now, I figured I could relate to some aspects of being new to a different country and how difficult it is to settle in and integrate. I love living in Norfolk and wanted to provide a safe, happy place for someone whose life had so dramatically changed through no choice of their own.
How has their transition to living in the UK been?
Our guests have been with us for a month, and I think they would say the transition has been good but exhausting. There is so much to do and to get used to, and when you can’t communicate in your own language it’s very tiring. If you’ve ever travelled to a country that doesn’t use the Roman alphabet, you can appreciate how confusing it is to understand everyday things like bus timetables, how to make a doctor’s appointment, what food to buy. The learning curve is steep and constant. We support them as much as we can but don’t want to take away their agency by just doing everything for them – they will feel more empowered and secure as their independence grows.
How have you and your family found the experience?
I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say our family has found the experience life changing. We’re learning all about a culture we knew very little about before, and getting to share things we all enjoy, like eating together, going to the beach and walking the dog. When we ask how to say something in Ukrainian, I keep a note in my phone with the phonetic spelling; I have a whole list of random words and phrases including ‘tomorrow’, ‘strawberry’, ‘squirrel’ and my favourite, ‘go to sleep’. We laugh a lot (Google Translate is a reliable source for absurdity) and learn from each other and for my part I’ve acquired a depth of patience I didn’t have before, just seeing how patient they have had to be.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering homing refugees?
Before ‘our’ family came to stay with us, I was told it was the best experience we could ever have. I think that’s true. But anyone else considering hosting a person or people from Ukraine should know that there is an incredible amount of admin involved. Every day after work I have something to attend to, whether it’s helping to fill in a form, searching for a resource, translating a letter, setting up an account (bank, NHS, mobile provider, etc.) or taking them somewhere that’s not easy to find when you don’t know your way around. This is never a problem and it’s often quite fun, like when there are appointments in Norwich, and we stop to share coffee and cake. It’s also an opportunity to think about our preconceived notions, for instance when we’re asked ‘How/why do they do X in England’ or ‘In Ukraine we do Y, is that the case here?’ We take so much for granted and it’s a good reminder to keep things in perspective.
If you have room in your home for even one person, you can make such a difference. I don’t know anyone who is sponsoring Ukrainian guests – and there are a lot of us in Norfolk! – who has any regrets. With all big changes hosting brings it’s worth reading up, talking to people and going in with your eyes open, but in our case, we wouldn’t change a thing.
If you are interested in homing a refugee who has been affected by the conflict in Ukraine, you can find out more information and record your interest via the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme section of the government website.
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