Interviews

Kelly's Home Office battle

Moving from West Africa to Britain at the age of nine was hard enough for Kelly, but 10 years later staying here proved an even bigger crisis, when she was told she might not be able to stay in the country she considered home. As a child arriving in the UK with her family Kelly was the youngest of the children and spoke very poor English. Her diplomat father was advised by a colleague to place the children in public schools, so they could adapt quicker to the new culture.…

Moving from West Africa to Britain at the age of nine was hard enough for Kelly, but 10 years later staying here proved an even bigger crisis, when she was…

Kiran and David’s story

Kiran was born in a southern Asian country where being gay is a criminal offence and condemns him to being labelled a paedophile and mentally ill. It’s a country where custom dictates the disowning of family members because of their sexuality and where newspapers carry stories of homes being set ablaze because someone has been ‘found out’ and they and their family become targets for abuse. By the time he applied for asylum in the UK he had been in a relationship with his British partner, David, for four years.…

Kiran was born in a southern Asian country where being gay is a criminal offence and condemns him to being labelled a paedophile and mentally ill. It’s a country where…

Petros' story

“Never stop fighting for what you believe in and never give up on your dreams.” That's Petros Tesfagherghis' advice – and the belief he lives by. Petros is modest and unassuming. Asked about his own successes and difficulties – including twice fleeing his home country of Eritrea – he turns the question away from himself and back to social justice. His persistent passion for social justice is closely tied to events and experiences in Eritrea, which reveals some reasoning behind his adamant belief. Born in the capital, Asmara, Petros comes…

“Never stop fighting for what you believe in and never give up on your dreams.” That's Petros Tesfagherghis' advice – and the belief he lives by. Petros is modest and…

Hafsa Muhammad’s Story

When Hafsa Muhammad and her young son arrived from Nigeria West Africa to join her husband in 1992 she was shocked by British people's isolation. “I thought, 'people were separate, and on the move all the time'”, she recalls. But after 25 years helping people, working among communities and seeing more of the country, her views have broadened - to the point where a visit to Totnes a small town in South Devon reminded her of Nigeria because of the way residents helped each other. Similarly, Muhammad says her neighbours…

When Hafsa Muhammad and her young son arrived from Nigeria West Africa to join her husband in 1992 she was shocked by British people's isolation. “I thought, 'people were separate,…

Kris Harris’ Story

When Kris Harris lived in Norway she was a migrant but didn’t feel like one: when she moved back to Britain she was technically at home but she felt like a migrant. The daughter of a British father and Norwegian mother, Kris was born in London in 1976 and moved to Norway the following year. She visited England every summer and eventually returned to settle in 1997 to attend university and “live in the big city.” “I am basically a migrant in my own country,” she says, and though she…

When Kris Harris lived in Norway she was a migrant but didn’t feel like one: when she moved back to Britain she was technically at home but she felt like…

From cocoa farming to fighting for workers’ rights

Ake Achi was born in the Ivory Coast to parents who were farmers. To protect him from the hardships of child labour in the cocoa fields they sent him to Europe. With the help of his aunt who was settled in France, tickets were bought and accommodation arranged. So began his life as a migrant at the age of 10. Accompanied on the plane journey by his elder sister, Achi remembers feeling immense sadness at being sent away from all he knew - his parents, his home, his friends, his…

Ake Achi was born in the Ivory Coast to parents who were farmers. To protect him from the hardships of child labour in the cocoa fields they sent him to…

Paulina Polak sees job problems - and offers answers

Why do so many female migrants find it so hard to get the good jobs for which they are qualified? Paulina Polak – herself a migrant from Poland, via Germany – has been thinking about the problem for years, and she thinks she has the answer. “It’s about being able to sell yourself – to prospective employers, in life, to the world,” she says She also decided that knowing the explanation was not enough and that she had to act to put the situation right, by setting up an organisation,…

Why do so many female migrants find it so hard to get the good jobs for which they are qualified? Paulina Polak – herself a migrant from Poland, via Germany…

Tian Lan's story

Tian Lan is passionate about helping people learn to communicate between different cultures and countries. She wonders whether the roots of her interests lie in the unusual history of her birth place. Tian is from Qing Dao a small seaside city in China, well known for its Tsingtao beer but with an unusual German cultural heritage. “Qing Dao was the colony of Germany for about 24 years before being defeated by the British and Japanese; it is the only city in Asia that has such a history relating to the…

Tian Lan is passionate about helping people learn to communicate between different cultures and countries. She wonders whether the roots of her interests lie in the unusual history of her…

mobilising young people to bring about change

It’s hard to find a single word to describe Shingai Mushayabasa. The 25-year-old works for Active Horizons and Friends of the Earth, but doesn’t want you to call her an activist, yet. “…Until the day that I am actually an activist and I’m on the ground, I’m not going to be claiming titles that I’m not,” said the Zimbabwean migrant. She describes herself as passionate about race and social justice, proving so in the type of work she undertakes. At Active Horizons, Shinagai focuses on empowering Black ethnic minority young…

It’s hard to find a single word to describe Shingai Mushayabasa. The 25-year-old works for Active Horizons and Friends of the Earth, but doesn’t want you to call her an…

‘Buddy With’ aims to end women’s silent struggles

Yuliana Topazly knows what it means to be thrown into the deep end: when she was 19 her Russian parents sent her, alone, at a fortnight’s notice to learn English. “Here’s the visa, here’s the passport, go to UK,” was the message. So she went – to find that her parents’ friend, who was supposed to meet her at the airport, was not there. He had got the wrong day. Topazly (“I love England, but my heart is Russian”) has come a long way since then: she’s married to a…

Yuliana Topazly knows what it means to be thrown into the deep end: when she was 19 her Russian parents sent her, alone, at a fortnight’s notice to learn English.…

Interviews

Interviews

Kelly's Home Office battle

Moving from West Africa to Britain at the age of nine was hard enough for Kelly, but 10 years later staying here proved an even bigger crisis, when she was…

Kiran and David’s story

Kiran was born in a southern Asian country where being gay is a criminal offence and condemns him to being labelled a paedophile and mentally ill. It’s a country where…

Petros' story

“Never stop fighting for what you believe in and never give up on your dreams.” That's Petros Tesfagherghis' advice – and the belief he lives by. Petros is modest and…

Hafsa Muhammad’s Story

When Hafsa Muhammad and her young son arrived from Nigeria West Africa to join her husband in 1992 she was shocked by British people's isolation. “I thought, 'people were separate,…

Kris Harris’ Story

When Kris Harris lived in Norway she was a migrant but didn’t feel like one: when she moved back to Britain she was technically at home but she felt like…

From cocoa farming to fighting for workers’ rights

Ake Achi was born in the Ivory Coast to parents who were farmers. To protect him from the hardships of child labour in the cocoa fields they sent him to…

Paulina Polak sees job problems - and offers answers

Why do so many female migrants find it so hard to get the good jobs for which they are qualified? Paulina Polak – herself a migrant from Poland, via Germany…

Tian Lan's story

Tian Lan is passionate about helping people learn to communicate between different cultures and countries. She wonders whether the roots of her interests lie in the unusual history of her…

mobilising young people to bring about change

It’s hard to find a single word to describe Shingai Mushayabasa. The 25-year-old works for Active Horizons and Friends of the Earth, but doesn’t want you to call her an…

‘Buddy With’ aims to end women’s silent struggles

Yuliana Topazly knows what it means to be thrown into the deep end: when she was 19 her Russian parents sent her, alone, at a fortnight’s notice to learn English.…

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