On Saturday 15th June, we invited members of Kingston Refugee Action together with Syrian refugees to talk about their experiences of settling in England.
Journalist and Arabic Teacher Hasnaa Omar left Syria in 2013 and arrived in London in 2016. She was subsequently able to bring her husband, an IT Manager, to England and they now have a son, George, who is 18 months’ old. Describing her experiences of settling into the UK, Hasnaa explained how undertaking voluntary work on arrival is a good way for refugees to learn English and improve their employment prospects.
Marwa Belghazi, the Resettlement Coordinator for Kingston Refugee Action, spoke about her role in helping refugees settle into the Borough – by providing practical and cultural support. Currently eleven families have been settled in Kingston with a few more due to arrive shortly.
We have a proud history of working with refugees; many of our community are very active in befriending new arrivals and others have helped in providing furniture and other useful items to new families.
Speaking after the service Marwa said “It was so heartwarming to be invited into a Synagogue, and one which is so open to people of different cultures, and to see that the community is so welcoming. I look forward to working further with members of KLS in helping newly arrived families to settle into the area.”
