Stories

ref - u - gee [ref-yoo-jee] –noun - a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

We all know what the word means but you have to live the experience to really understand it.  Like Filda, a refugee from Northern Uganda - she arrived in Oxford in 1989 with her six daughters and one grandson after suffering violence and trauma at the hands of armed soldiers in her country. Both her husband and son were murdered during Uganda’s Civil War.

It was difficult to uproot her family and settle into a whole new culture and Filda has worked hard at integrating the two worlds. So her children would know and understand the language and culture of Uganda, she formed a Northern Uganda Community group in East Oxford.  They went to local schools and Filda herself pursued a higher education course.  All her hard work has paid off; her daughters have jobs and she has a degree in Psychology and Religion.  

It is important to Filda that she gives back to the community that supported her in her time of need and she rates her proudest achievement as her six daughters, all of whom are working and paying their taxes. “This is very rewarding for me because what other tax payers had invested in me, in the form of State Benefit while I was bringing up my children, is now being harvested.  I no longer feel guilty about the fact that I brought up my family on benefit.”

Over the last 40 years Richard Taylor has worked for a number of organisations which has frequently brought him into contact with the problems faced by refugees throughout the world.  He is currently the trustee of Asylum Welcome - a centre which provides free confidential information and help to refugees, asylum seekers, and immigration detainees in Oxfordshire.   

Richard feels strongly about the treatment of some refugees entering the UK. “Locking people up indefinitely because our authorities do not know what to do with them is inhumane, especially if they are children.” He is keen to point out that “they are fleeing their country because of persecution and they deserve our assistance. They want to be self-supporting and contributory members of society.”

With the support and help of services such as Asylum Welcome refugees across the world have been able to make the difficult transition from fear and persecution in their own countries to a new life in Oxford.