Today “Aaron” is 21 years old, has just completed a degree in financial economics at university and is looking for his first full time role in the financial services sector.
Just eight years ago, this confident and private young man was a terrified teenager fleeing persecution in his country of birth Eritrea where his father had been arrested and his mother was under threat of arrest. Worried for the safety of her family, she ran taking her three children with her. “Aaron”, the oldest was 13.
The family went to Sudan and “Aaron”, using an agent paid for by his mother, was taken to France where he was smuggled on a lorry and came into the UK illegally in 2013. From there, as a child, he was placed with a foster carer.
Confused, not really understanding the danger he had fled, with little thought for his future, “Aaron” was then moved to a foster carer with Banya, the UK’s most successful independent fostering agency which supports many people from a BAME background.
Banya and my foster carer completely changed my life. I had no plans to study at all. However, my foster carer motivated me, gave me the help and support I needed and I’m so grateful for that. I’m so grateful for all that Banya has done for me. I came here alone, scared and with no idea of what was going to happen to me next. Now I’m applying for UK citizenship, I’m trying to get my mother over as well and I’m looking forward to a career in the UK,” Aaron said.
A private man, “Aaron” agreed to share some of his story for Refugee Week 2021 – currently his birth family are still separated by the extreme circumstances they were born into and his father is in prison in Eritrea.
This week it’s Refugee Week and there are concerns about the current government’s stance on supporting refugees. Enver Soloman, CEO of the Refugee Council has said that the government’s New Plan for Immigration will reduce protection for refugees who come to the UK by ‘irregular routes’ – as “Aaron” did eight years ago.
This year’s theme is ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’ and was about celebrating all refugees through art, culture. However the concerns over this new government plan has led the Refugee Council to speak out. The 1951 Refugee Convention states that a refugee is any person who has fled their country and has a well founded fear of persecution – it does not make a distinction about ‘how’ that person gets to the UK. The Council is calling on the government to not turn its back on this noble principle. We at Banya support that call.
To find out more about Refugee Week visit https://refugeeweek.org.uk
