Have you ever tried asking for help in a language you don’t understand? It’s a struggle most of us rarely think about.
But imagine for a moment that you’ve just arrived in a new country. You don’t speak the language and you need to ask for help. All the processes are new to you and everything needs internet access that you don’t have.
If you don’t speak the language in this new country, accessing services is incredibly hard. Medical care, mental health support, housing advocacy and legal aid can be a minefield. These services can be hard enough to access by natives, so for refugees - many of whom have limited IT access and don’t speak the language - it can be near impossible. That’s why having the right support is so important.
We’re incredibly proud to support partners on the ground around Europe who provide the critical, consistent, follow through help that is often lacking from the public services which are otherwise the only point of contact for many refugees settling in a new country.
One of the partners your donations support is Fenix Legal Aid. They work in Greece providing holistic, empowering legal aid for people seeking asylum. Importantly they employ a small team of translators to ensure they always understand the people they’re there for. We want to share with you their heart warming story of being there for a Kuwaiti man who might otherwise have been left to face his struggles alone.
After attending two of Fenix’s legal sessions, a man stayed behind seeking help. He is Bedoon - a population of people in Kuwait who are left stateless, lack access to most basic services in the country and are often subject to extreme human rights violations. The man was struggling with his mental health and, despite worrying about the stigmas associated with this, he felt he could ask for help from Fenix.
The Fenix team worked with him to prepare a follow up plan to improve his day to day mental health, introduced him to sports activities and connected him with a psychologist. All enabled by a native translator.
Critically, the support did not stop there. Fenix stayed in touch with him with regular check-in coffee meetings. These crucial follow ups guided him through the process, ensuring that he was able to continually engage with relevant support. His wellbeing improved significantly, he felt confident in his asylum interview and six months later he was finally granted refugee protection!
This man is now able to build a new life in safety which is what we hope for everyone. Without the support, compassion and consistency he received from Fenix, his outcome might have been very different.
Our partners ensure that every penny goes to helping those who need their help. See how your support is making a difference by clicking the link below.
