Life as a refugee support volunteer with it's occasional victories and frequent defeats.

Occasional Victories is a place for links, news, rants and raves about Refugee related issues.

If you would like to contribute just drop me an email at carigeen(a)yahoo.com

 
Sorcha's journal ....

has her thoughts on the BBC retelling of the Man of law's Canterbury tale.

Constance, a Nigerian asylum seeker, was washed up in a small boat on the English coast. The story follows her through the maze of forms and interviews and reception centres. It is also about the people she touches, and enriches, by simply being there.


posted by Carigeen at Friday, October 17, 2003

 
George Orwell on poverty ...

It is the peculiar lowness of poverty that you discover first; the shifts that it puts you to, the complicated meanness, the crust-wiping.

This week was an education in the peculiar lowness of the Asylum Seeker world.
Josef, 41-year-old father of three small children, died of a heart attack on Thursday.
Mariam, his wife, had some awful decisions to make in a hurry.

What to do?
Withdraw the asylum application and go home with the body?
Bury Josef here? But what happens if she and her children are deported?
Can his family come for the funeral? There is no time to get visas and only business class air tickets are available.

These are decisions no one should have to take in these circumstances.
Eventually she decided to cremate the body and store it in the undertakers until a decision was reached on her case.

The funeral service was gentle and respectful. A 12-year old did a gospel reading in broken English and brought tears to everyone's eyes. The site staff put on a funeral meal and many friends came from all around.

Rest in peace Josef




posted by Carigeen at Tuesday, October 14, 2003