During the past weeks and months, many of us have had time to reflect and to imagine a different future when we eventually return to some sort of normality. We might imagine having a healthier lifestyle, a fairer and more equal society or a more caring approach to the environment. 'Imagining' is the theme of this year’s refugee week. We ask you to imagine what it would be like to have to leave your family behind. Many of the refugee children and parents we support had to leave friends and family behind when they left their countries for safety and to build a new life in Scotland. For many of us, this is hard to imagine. This week we’ll be sharing the experiences of some of the refugee families we are supporting on our social media pages (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).

Amira (not her real name)

“Hello, I am a refugee and to be honest it is the hardest thing to go through, being away from my extended family, my home country, my career and, on top of that, adjusting to the recent lockdown.  Leaving my home country broke my heart, but there was no other way to be alive other than to start over and build a new life here in the UK for me and my small family. It wouldn't have been so easy without the positive influence of several organizations, especially MCFB, who have been supporting us since last year. They supported me in every way, particularly emotionally, with regular visits, phone calls and check ins. They not only helped me with my kids (my kids have special needs), they supported me and my husband through rough times.

Lockdown is challenging, but it has been made easier as MCFB have provided art bags as well as ideas for activities for my boys and it really helps that MCFB always remembers our religious occasions. I can't say how much I am appreciate their support. One thing which really touched my heart was when Emma (MCFB project worker) called me during incident that led to the global Black Lives Matter protests. She knows what I’ve been through in the past and she wanted to make sure I was ok.
Thank you MCFB  for being a family for us
Thank you MCFB for everything
God bless you all.”