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My name is Muriel and I am a happy migrant

My Story My name is Muriel (you need to pronounce it MuriEL, not MEWriel, just so you know). I used to live in Paris and, when my husband found a job in London, I had two options: change husband or change job. I chose the latter, and the whole family moved to London as a result. I really wished I had changed my name to Julia when we moved here. No, honestly. Because every time I say that my name is Muriel, here is the reaction I get: " Oh…

My Story My name is Muriel (you need to pronounce it MuriEL, not MEWriel, just so you know). I used to live in Paris and, when my husband found a…

Justice for Cleaners – Lenin's story

Cleaners employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London went on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike was part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why he decided to go on strike: My name is Lenin Escudero, I am 37 years old. I come from Ecuador and have been living…

Cleaners employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London went on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike was part of their campaign to…

Demanding equal rights

Cleaners currently employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London went on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners who went on strike: My name is Luis Armando. I am from Ecuador and have been living in London for 18 years. I started working…

Cleaners currently employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London went on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike is part of their campaign…

Jacques' story

I used to live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1998 I graduated from the Catholic University in Kinsasha, Congo. After graduation I ran a family haulage business and also set up a “Bureau d’etude” / Consulting Office in Management of Development Projects. I became involved in the opposition to the Government and as a consequence of this I left DRC and travelled to the UK seeking sanctuary as a political refugee. When I came to the UK I was sent to Peterborough where I spent almost three years…

I used to live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1998 I graduated from the Catholic University in Kinsasha, Congo. After graduation I ran a family haulage business and…

Simone's story

Simone spoke with us about living and working in the UK, as well as her aspirations for the future. Simone is a proud Brazilian who loves London and the blend of cultures that it has to offer. She spent the first 25 years of her life in Brazil and still has a strong connection to the country. She worked as a journalist while living there, writing about topics ranging from shopping to education in cities. Simone came to the UK to study and to seek a new type of life.…

Simone spoke with us about living and working in the UK, as well as her aspirations for the future. Simone is a proud Brazilian who loves London and the blend…

Justice for Cleaners - Consuelo’s story

Cleaners employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London were going on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why she is going on strike: My name is Consuelo Moreno. I am Colombian and I arrived in London in January of 2002. I…

Cleaners employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London were going on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike is part of their campaign…

I felt proud of being part of my new home

Today, on International Migrants Day, I wanted to share a story of one of the many migrants who has had a pleasant experience of migration and integration into British culture. Here is Toufik’s story: My name is Toufik – I am from Syria; I initially came to the UK some 20 odd years ago to do a Master's Degree in English Literature. As a young student back then, I had always dreamt of continuing my studies in England. I had never been abroad before and I was excited at the…

Today, on International Migrants Day, I wanted to share a story of one of the many migrants who has had a pleasant experience of migration and integration into British culture.…

Justice for Cleaners – Marta’s story

Cleaners employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London went on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike is part of their campaign to be employed directly by SOAS on the same sick pay, holidays and pensions as others working for the university, rather than the work being outsourced. Here is the story of one of the cleaners and why she is going on strike: My name is Marta Rey. I am 55 and I came from Colombia in 1995. I had a good…

Cleaners employed through ISS to clean at SOAS University in London went on strike on the 4th and 5th of March 2014. The strike is part of their campaign to…

The Sinai Hostages

A shocking and extraordinary telephone conversation with two kidnapped hostages in Egypt’s Sinai desert has given me evidence of what the UN has called “one of the most unreported humanitarian crises in the world”. Thousands of refugees from Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan are captured by criminal gangs and held for ransom. They are subject to appalling brutality. About 4,000 of 7,000 victims have died in the last four years, according to some estimates. The kidnappers use Sinai because swathes of it have become lawless since the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace treaty stipulated…

A shocking and extraordinary telephone conversation with two kidnapped hostages in Egypt’s Sinai desert has given me evidence of what the UN has called “one of the most unreported humanitarian…

The Power Of Listening - overcoming trauma

Emina Hadziosmanovic was a child when she fled to the UK in 1992 to escape the siege of her home town, Sarajevo. She tells Nishit Morsawala that her degree enabled her to “finally understand why I was where I was, studying psychology and what I wanted to do with it. I was motivated to help others achieve this understanding and to move forward with their own lives.” Emina Hadziosmanovic grew up in an environment of war and trauma in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and as a result “always had a desire to understand…

Emina Hadziosmanovic was a child when she fled to the UK in 1992 to escape the siege of her home town, Sarajevo. She tells Nishit Morsawala that her degree enabled…