United to Help Kids

“The refugee crisis is the humanitarian emergency of our times” says the Children’s Society, which is why it formed a partnership with the Guardian to help young refugees this Christmas. Their aim to be able to provide more refugee children with the one-to-one support and guidance they so desperately need.

Last year over 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children arrived in the UK, finding themselves in a foreign land where they can rarely speak the language, or understand how to do the very basics like find food and shelter. Refugee children arriving in this country are vulnerable, scared and in urgent need of help.

Hamid was shot during the war in Afghanistan, and fled to the UK fearing for his life. When he arrived here, Hamid was arrested by the police and put in a shared house. It was here that he was visited by a project worker from The Children’s Society. 

“My project worker took me to a doctor”, says Hamid, “I couldn’t go there on my own because I didn’t know about the hospital and didn’t know how to get there.’

Read more about why Hamid fled Afghanistan here.

Hamid’s project worker also introduced him to other young refugees, and helped him learn basics like how to shop and use public transport. Hamid is now training to become an engineer and looking forward to a safe, happy future that once seemed unimaginable to him.

Bishop Nicholas said, “This Diocese raises more money for the The Children’s Society than any other in the country. For 125 years The Children’s Society has been helping vulnerable children, allied to the Church of England, and often working on issues that were unpopular or controversial.

“As we approach Christmas, we should never forget that the Holy Family were forced to flee as refugees into a foreign country because of the despotic actions of the king. Our faith calls us to see Christ in these children forced from their homelands.

“It is particularly pleasing to a major national newspaper enthusiastically working with a Church charity on an issue which should unite people of all faiths and none in compassion.”

A spokesperson for The Children’s Society said, they were “here to help refugee children overcome the challenges they face, and begin to rebuild their lives. We want to make sure that their voices are heard and the problems they face are understood, and that they receive the support they need from social workers, mental health services and housing.”