JRS-UK Community Blog

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I have been working with Asylum Seekers for the past almost 16 years, first in Oxford and for the last 6 years in London at the Jesuit Refugee Service UK. The latter is based in Wapping in East London. Most of the people we befriend are based in this poorer area of London.

The Mission of JRS is to: 1) Accompany asylum seekers and forced migrants, our brothers and sisters, 2) Serve them as companions and 3) Advocate their cause in a largely uncaring world. We have a particular concern for those who are detained under the immigration rules and for those who, having had their asylum claim refused – sometimes many times – are left both destitute and homeless in the UK. We try to carry out this work in a spirit of dignity, mutual respect and solidarity and in collaboration with other similar organisations. Our Mission is based on our faith in God, who is present in human history, even in the most tragic circumstances. Our values are: Compasssion, Hope, Dignity, Solidarity, Hospitality, Justice and Participation. We welcome people of every nationality; of all faiths and none. At JRS we do not refer to those who come to us as clients but as friends. To quote one of our friends: “JRS are family for me now. JRS supports me morally and motivates me.”

JRS is open 5 days a week but definitely the highlight of the week is the Thursday Day Centre when we welcome an average of about 100 people. I believe that the most important aspect of what we can offer is that of welcome - a welcome to those who otherwise feel unwelcome in our society. This begins by the welcome given at the door which is so appreciated by those who come. This was brought home to me recently by one young woman who said to me:” I was feeling very nervous when I arrived but I felt so happy when everyone greeted me with a smile and was so kind to me.” Or as another person described it:” We feel welcome as a new person in a new country.” This is so important when they have been anything but welcome in their own country and have met only with hostility on arriving in this land.

As well as the initial interview, the centre gives an opportunity to speak about their situation with volunteers; to receive advice on various matters; to be directed to other organisations e.g. centres for food, clothing, legal aid, health needs, courses for English and other studies; to make friends and sometimes speak their own language over a cup of tea or coffee or just to rest. They can receive a sandwich and fruit lunch and a monthly hygiene pack of toiletries. We also provide travel money for access to critical legal and medical appointments, emergency mini-grants for newly destitute individuals.

I, myself, participate in this work as a volunteer twice a week. My main role currently, together with another Sister of a different Congregation, is to conduct the initial assessment interview of each newcomer to the Centre. We do this in as friendly and informal manner as possible as we know this can be daunting for some of our friends who have had previous traumatic experiences of being questioned. It is gratifying when some, who arrive very nervous and traumatised, leave the room relaxed and smiling. Sometimes the experience for us of listening to what is a harrowing account of what they have undergone, both in their own country and during the asylum process here, can be heartbreaking. I always find the fact that so often, having escaped very difficult and often tragic circumstances from their country of origin, they are received here with both suspicion and hostility. Some of them in the course of the process have been detained in Detention or so-called “Removal Centres” for longer or shorter periods. I myself have visited people in various of these centres and know what a traumatic experience it can be for innocent people to be virtually imprisoned for an indefinite period of time. This is particularly so when children are involved. Another source of trauma is the often long waiting for a decision from their Hearings. Some of the people we interview have been in the UK for 10 years or more without any positive outcome of their claim for asylum. This frequently leads to both mental and physical stress and depression and even suicide attempts. Conversely the UK does currently offer excellent medical care for which they are hugely grateful. There are also some wonderful charitable organisations to which they can have recourse, such as the Medical Foundation for the Prevention of Persecution.

Another traumatic factor for these people to deal with is literally becoming both destitute and homeless when they have exhausted their Appeals. Some are fortunate enough to have good friends who will give them somewhere to sleep but very often they find themselves on the street or sleeping on buses etc. I know of at least one middle-aged Congolese lady who has been in this situation for the last 6 months. We do our best to find places for these people but there are so few available and they are usually full.

We are always so happy when we are able to register those we interview and therefore provide for them the little financial and other help we can on a regular weekly basis. It is truly humbling to witness their gratitude for even so little. This frequently reminds me how grateful I should be for the many blessings I receive on a daily basis.

Another inspiring aspect of my relationship with these people is the weekly Prayer Group for women held every Tuesday. This was requested by the women themselves a few years ago. There is also a similar group for men. A Cenacle Sister and I organise this, taking turns to lead the prayer weekly. At present all the participants are Christian: Catholic and Orthodox but all faiths are welcome. They represent various African countries, including Eritrea and Ethiopia and are English, French, Tigrine and Amharic speaking. I find their deep, simple and devout faith, love of prayer and capacity for silence both moving and inspiring in the face of all they have suffered and are still suffering. Again, I receive far more from them than I can give. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work with these beautiful and endearing people. I can truly say;” I feel privileged to meet and learn from each one of my refugee friends. My association with them continues to enrich my life and I give thanks that I have been given the opportunity to participate in this work of God,”

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Rome, 20 June 2015 – Refugees do not choose to become refugees. They become refugees out of compulsion. They experience separation from loved ones, starvation, discrimination, fear, trauma, indefinite incarceration and worst of all, the demonization of their human dignity. They hope not only for survival, but for a peaceful and decent life, free from persecution and discrimination. Even when they eventually do make it to a safe refuge, it is very hard for them to restore their lives by themselves. During this time, their hope for education and equal opportunity often fades away.

My name is Antony Mukui*; I'm 28 years old and I come from Kenya. My story, though tragic, is sadly not unique.

I should say that compared to the millions of refugees across the world, my journey has been through God's grace a fairly easy one.

It was the night of 5 November 2013, when my family and I were attacked in our home by a gang of about 12 men armed with crude weapons: machetes, axes, knifes, etc. I was outside of our house talking to my cousin Joseph inquiring why the electricity shut off. As we talked, this gang confronted us. They took me hostage and ordered my cousin to go back to sleep. Little did I know that was the last time I would see him alive.

I was led to the house and the ordeal began. All the while, they were looking for my mother, who was then an employee in one of Kenya's security services. This ordeal lasted just about an hour, and at the end of it all I was injured terribly. My young sister, 12 at the time, had gone through an attempted rape; my 92 year old grandmother had been harassed and traumatized; and my friend and colleague Peter was seriously injured and had to spend two months in the hospital undergoing reconstructive surgery on his mouth.

As you can all imagine after such a traumatic event, we lived our lives in fear, sleeping in shifts at night. While the local police guarded our compound, we stood watch too. The investigations were going nowhere; and after four months of this, we made the decision as a family to leave the country that we had called home for all our lives into an uncertain future.

A new home. We arrived in Italy on 21 January 2014. Based on the recommendation of by the Kenyan Superior of the Jesuits and with permission of the Superior General of the Jesuits, Franciscan Cappuchin priests took us in their San Lorenzo di Brandisi college, where they usually house foreign students who are studying in Rome. We have been living with them ever since.

They have helped us not only by offering us a roof over our heads but also a place to heal our inner wounds by providing us with spiritual counseling and allowing us to be part of their family. We eat meals together, have discussions, play football and watch games together from time to time.

This transition has not been easy on my family, leaving everything behind: a good house, good jobs, a car, all our friends and family. The life of a refugee is not an easy one; there are many challenges that one has to go through including the lack of employment, housing and proper documentation.

Rebuilding through faith. Worse for me is the feeling of not belonging, of not being human. As a refugee, every day you cling on to the hope that the next day will be better than yesterday. This hope and our faith in God is what have kept our family together over the past year, despite all the difficult times that we have faced. It is the faith that as long as we have our lives, we can always rebuild and achieve greater things.

Every day, I am inspired by the stories of my fellow refugees that I meet from all over the world. Many of them are young men and women like myself who have undergone so much pain and suffering in their young lives, but who all have two things in common – hope and determination to make something of their lives despite all the challenges they face.

Ultimately, I must say the story of a refugee is a story of great courage. It is a story of a people who refuse to give up when everything around them seems to crumble, who chose to hope when it would be so easy to give up.

I challenge all of you to look at refugees as your fellow brothers and sisters, as human beings.

I believe that we can all do our part to help those who are suffering. As Pope Francis reminds us, we must all be able first to see, and then help others to see that migrants do not represent a problem to be solved. They are brothers and sisters who need help and should therefore be welcomed and loved.

Each one of us must answer the Holy Father's call not only by helping to provide housing, food, employment and education, but more importantly to tackle the root causes that cause people to flee and find durable solutions to those problems.

Opposing the war in Vietnam, Martin Luther King Jr., said "a time comes when silence is betrayal." That time I believe has come for us as far as the refugee crisis is concerned. The time has come for all of us to not only speak up, but to act. This I believe is our duty not only as Christians but as human beings, and in doing so, we will love our fellow man and "Push forward, not back."

*Antony currently volunteers at the Jesuit Refugee Service International Office