What's It Like Supporting New Arrivals From Afghanistan?

The terrible events in Kabul that happened in August 2021 meant many families and individuals were forced to flee their homes in Afghanistan and start new lives in the UK, beginning in hotels across the country. As they waited for more permanent accommodation, Upbeat Staff helped teach English classes, deliver information sessions about everything from road safety to doctors’ appointments, and provide clothing and other essentials.

We asked Joy (Refugee Integration Worker) what the last few months of 2021 had been like supporting new arrivals in the hotels in Lincoln.

As I drove up to the first hotel, not knowing what to expect, all I saw over the brow of the hill was Elliot (Upbeat Staff) with his arms extended in a V shape, kids running up to him, shouting ‘YAAAAAY!!!’ I think they were just playing cricket, and somebody had scored, but it was such a moment of joy and celebration.

It reminded me what Upbeat was all about. Here I was, on Day One of us visiting the hotel. I was in smart, uncomfortable clothing, and I was so nervous! But to drive up and hear that moment was so lovely.

The Upbeat team have been going into two different hotels and offering support to families in the form of children’s activities and crafts, English classes for ladies, and cultural orientation sessions, delivered separately to men and women.

We got to know the families and what their needs are, as well as answering their questions about life in the UK.

A favourite session for me was an interactive English class with some of the Afghan women. Most of the men had jobs that required eloquent English skills, but the majority of the women and children had no knowledge of English. In this particular session, we scattered pictures of stationary items around the room, and everyone had to match each item with the right word. That was the first time that I saw the women come alive! The sheer excitement and pride when somebody successfully matched something was lovely to see.

I’ve also been showing all sorts of 360 tours on YouTube, from GP practices to secondary and primary school virtual open days, just to show everyone what it all looks like.

Many of the women confessed that what they really wanted to know was how to cross a road. We have so many different pavements, crossings, and traffic light systems in the UK – they just wanted to know where was the safest place to cross on a busy road! We spent an hour and half just talking about that.

One time, I met a group of five teenage boys who were desperate to learn English. I felt a pang as they described to me that they’d been right at the end of their schooling, getting ready to take the exams that would get them into university, when the Taliban took over. They weren’t able to go.

It would be like UK teenagers studying all the way to A Levels, only to not be able to see it through to the end. These boys were too old, according to our system, to go to sixth form college. So they’ve missed a youthful opportunity there. That was hard to hear.

One family I met shared stories of an older man with two daughters and a son. They were one of the last ones to get on a plane out of Kabul, amidst all the chaos that we saw on our televisions from the safety of the UK. His wife and other children didn’t make it onto the flight. They still aren’t sure of the safety of the ones left behind.

The eldest daughter wants to share their story as part of 1:1 English classes to share. Their hope is just to be reunited. They’re not thinking about immediate employment or anything like that. They just want to be together, in the UK.

I remember the day I first saw a family being moved on from the hotel. All the men were hugging, and the women and children were very emotional. It was surreal seeing them get on the coach. They had replicated the community that they had in Afghanistan; those in the hotel had become their family. As the coach drove off, I wondered who they were going to meet, and what support they would receive when they got to their new home.

Upbeat Communities is now helping those on the Resettlement Scheme in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, so I get to see the other side of it, from the hotel to the home.

The hotel aspect is really temporary. Upbeat received an influx of messages from people asking how they could help, but the hotels are hard to access for even the most willing volunteers. What we can do is learn from all the different experiences and people we meet.

I think it’s helpful for people to pause a little bit, learn from those working in the hotels, and if Afghan families are resettled in their area, they can better know what their needs are. The children in the hotel were so eager to learn English; let’s support them in that as they are moved on.

If you’d like to help befriend Afghan refugees being resettled in the Lincolnshire and Derbyshire area, and you live local to these areas, send us an email at hello@upbeatcommunities.org