Canning Town Outlook
A
sense of community, friendship and mutual support is essential when
arriving in a new country. However, many refugees and asylum seekers
come to the UK speaking no English, without the means to generate an
income or the necessary support to help them to cope in a strange
land – all this after escaping traumatic circumstances in their own
country.
‘I always stayed at home while my husband was out at work. I would watch TV all day and sit crying,’ says Mitra, 23. ‘It was really bad, but now, coming here, it is much better’. Set up in 2002 by members of the congregation at St Luke’s church, Canning Town Outlook aims to combat this severe isolation by helping asylum seekers and refugee families to settle and integrate into British life. The range of practical services offered include English lessons, sewing and craft classes and a weekly parent- support group, providing childcare so that mothers feel they can attend.
The Church Urban Fund contributes towards the salary of parents’ group co-ordinator, Yinka Ariyo, who frequently comes across mothers who find themselves on the edges of society. She says, ‘My aim is to bring the women in this community together, to create relationships with them and to help them adapt to life in England. Just giving them money is not enough, but if we teach them skills, they can stand on their own, earn some money where possible and feel they are also contributors, not just dependent on benefits.’
