Day 9

Christine’s story…

“A pretty good day…

An asylum seeker who is a single mother with a one year old and no childcare living in a communal accommodation with little opportunity to get out and limited ability to do anything independently.

We got her a laptop and the first thing she wanted to do was sign up for an online course.

Registration was problematic with eligibility requirements becoming more complex and a lack of documentation provided by the Home Office.

Eventually after much toing and froing she was registered for an online course and sent me the loveliest email.

She had just started her course and was so excited to be studying again. She said the teacher was very understanding and that we had saved her mental health. She felt alive again because she was using her brain.

She has subsequently told me she finished the first online course and was busy registering herself for the next one…

A pretty good day.”

Christine started volunteering with Asylum Welcome’s Adult & Family Services as an adviser in 2018, she is CELTA qualified and has taught clients ESOL on an individual basis. She joined the Afghan Resettlement Team at Asylum Welcome as Education Coordinator in October 2021. She then took on the role of Education and Employment Coordinator for Asylum Welcome in March 2022 and continues to volunteer for AFS.

Christine has a BSc (Hons) in Business Administration and a Diploma in Creative Writing. She has worked in the education and technology sectors and lived in Australia, the Middle East, USA and the UK.