Asylum Welcome’s Ukraine Programme will be closing at the end of February 2024, approximately two years after its launch. This milestone provides a good opportunity for reflection on our journey…
Parting thoughts from Christina Schmalenbach…
The war against Ukraine came as a shock to all of us in Europe. And it generated a huge movement of solidarity in response. The UK central government promptly introduced three visa routes for Ukrainians to come to the UK, with the most unusual being the “Homes-for-Ukraine” scheme. Under this initiative, British residents were paid £350 a month to host guests from Ukraine. Since March 2022, over 2,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Oxfordshire, many of them as guests under the Homes-for-Ukraine program.
Our team began working on this initiative in April 2022 with the initial goal of assisting hosts in understanding the requirements for accommodating refugees from conflict zones. In the first six months, we familiarised ourselves with all the rules and regulations that impacted Ukrainians arriving under the scheme. The big step change to our activities came when we visited guests in their hosted households to find out from the Ukrainians themselves what exactly they wanted and needed. In their own language, Ukrainian guests were able to speak to our Ukrainian staff members about their situation, their worries, their hopes.
We have learnt so much from these conversations! We have heard about wonderful hosting situations where Ukrainian guests have been more or less adopted as permanent members of the host household. However, the majority of conversations have confirmed to us that living in someone else’s house, under someone else’s rules, is not easily compatible with a dignified adult life. Most Ukrainians here in the UK aspire to live independently, yet many cannot afford the cost of private housing in Oxfordshire. The challenges of the English language and the difficulty in having qualifications from Ukraine recognised in the UK result in many Ukrainians having to settle for low-paid jobs, instead of pursuing their careers as neurosurgeons or dentists. It is quite astonishing to learn that approximately 70% of Ukrainians in the country are still engaged in some form of work.
At Asylum Welcome, we have assisted Ukrainians in navigating the job market with the support of our amazing Education and Employment Team and the donation of laptops, as well as through English language tuition. We also organized regular drop-ins at the office; Ukrainians came with specific questions (how to get hold of cheap furniture; how to read an electricity bill; how to change school…) and many came back after their first visit, sometimes with a new question, sometimes just to talk and be listened to with empathy and understanding. For us as a team, these encounters felt precious – this was not just about “doing our jobs” but being allowed to become close to individuals who were willing to open their hearts to us.
We also offered practical support by assisting Ukrainians as they navigated various challenges within “the system”. Whether it was accessing NHS specialists, obtaining disability recognition, or applying for universal credit, “the system” presented itself as a bewildering jungle impossible to tackle if you did not have the language. This kind of painstaking work, sitting alongside individual Ukrainians in the GP practice, at the Citizens Advice office or the disability tribunal hearing, felt ever so rewarding when we were able to bring about the best result for our Ukrainian guests.
In the last six months of our programme, we have focused on “wellbeing” – helping Ukrainians access experiences which provide relief and relaxation, joy and togetherness.We organised yoga sessions, arts and crafts classes, drawing lessons, group counselling, arts exhibitions, musical events, and sports festivals, which attracted many participants. Most importantly, Ukrainians were at the forefront of many of these events – the Ukrainian psychologist, the artist, the musician, the yoga teacher – all contributed their experiences and skills to our programme. This not only benefited their own community but also others who participated. In the process we believe that we helped some of our Ukrainian friends regain some optimism and hope since they experienced themselves what good they were able to do for others when they made their skills available. Having witnessed their success, we very much hope that they will find ways to continue working in this way.
Our programme will close but I am confident its impact will outlast what we have done over two years. So… why not check out the Ukrainian artists’ exhibition at the Old Fire Station in Oxford – it will be there until the end of March. And maybe you want to sign up to Olena’s Wednesday evening drawing class at the Old Fire Station? You might find it on Eventbrite…
Parting thoughts from Iryna Linkevych….
It is really hard to write these words, knowing that my time at AW is coming to an end. The past 15 months at Asylum Welcome have given me a sense of belonging to a great cause, a feeling of teamwork, tremendous support, respect, and care from the team.
During my first year, I visited over 90 families across Oxfordshire, and each time I left a visit, felt warmed by the fact that it had been helpful to people. We even became friends with some of them.
Over time we started to realize that people need help to integrate and maintain mental health. We started organizing different kinds of classes such as yoga, art, painting, crafts, concerts and got incredibly good results – people started sharing with us how these classes helped them to get away from their problems, feel relief, relax, have a mental rest, even have fun!
Asylum Welcome was also a place where people could come for advice, support, with issues they couldn’t solve and each time we individually addressed their situations and helped each person with what we could. I was always made incredibly happy by the words I heard after such meetings: “thank you, I feel better”, “you sit here like an oracle, we complain to you, talk to you, and you listen, understand us and calm us down”, “after meeting with you I feel confident that everything will be fine” and so on.
In fact, it was a blessing from above for me to land such a wonderful job, my first job in England. In my heart, AW will always remain as a warm-hearted place where every person is heard, understood, and accepted.
Parting thoughts from Letty Peppiatt…
My name is Letty, and I have had the privilege of working in the Homes for Ukraine team for the last 14 months. With a background in teaching, I was delighted to have the opportunity to work in a field that has always held a huge appeal to me.
I joined the team about 6 months into the programme, during a phase focused on visiting Ukrainians and their hosts across Oxfordshire. These visits enabled us to assist with any queries or issues that the hosts and their Ukrainian guests were encountering. It was an honour to meet numerous incredibly generous, warm-hearted families and individuals who offered safety and comfort during difficult times.
Recently, our focus has been on coordinating and organizing events and activities to help Ukrainians improve their well-being, integrate into their communities, and have some fun! We have established yoga classes, art classes, ‘conversation and cake’ sessions, singing and social evenings, as well as an art exhibition, among other things. My Ukrainian colleagues attend weekly drop-in sessions to provide one-on-one support for individuals, offering an invaluable service through this initiative.
I have had the privilege of working alongside Ukrainians and meeting many more. I have visited and connected with some of the kindest, most altruistic people, and I have been part of a larger team at Asylum Welcome who are incredibly supportive, friendly, and dedicated to working together for a cause that I am more passionate about than ever. Working on Homes for Ukraine and being part of my wonderful team has been a life-changing experience that I will never forget.
Parting thoughts from Lucy Polson….
On my last working day at Asylum Welcome, I am reflecting on all the joy, warmth and connection I have been grateful to be part of in the five months I have worked on the Ukraine programme. What a wonderful and inviting place Asylum Welcome is, I felt at home as soon as I walked in – helped by some familiar faces from my time working for Oxfam.
I have learnt much about the challenges Ukrainians, and so many displaced people, face when they have one foot in their homeland and one in this safe sanctuary. We take for granted our ability to plan our futures. I have seen how the practical support we have provided has enabled people to struggle less, connect with others and enjoy themselves. What a privilege to be part of this virtuous circle.
My deepest thanks to Christina for skippering our Homes for Ukraine ‘ship’ so ably, and to my fellow crew mates Letty, Olena and Iryna – I shall miss you all.
Asylum Welcome is a very comfortable place to work with great people and an incredible atmosphere in the team.
I would like to say thank you to Mark for the opportunity, as well as to the best Ukrainian team and the best boss, Christina! It is an indescribable feeling when you love your job, and I have loved this job. I have learned and continue to learn about migration rules and laws through various trainings and seminars. It was an invaluable experience, which I am sure will help me in life and in my future career.
Thank you!
