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One Family's Experience Of Looking After Sanctuary Seeking Children & Young People
This article is written by one of our foster carers who would like to share her experiences of looking after Sanctuary Seeking Children and Young People.
My husband and I are from an Asian background and are currently looking after two Sanctuary Seeking young people from Afghanistan.
Unlike chidren in care who have had disruptive families and attachment issues, the Sanctuary Seeking youngsters in our care have not had these issues. They have been brought up to respect their elders, not to argue or be rude. They love going to school, are keen on sports and are motivated to learn and improve their English.
They love their Pushto music, Indian movies and like to use their mobile phones and headphones to listen to music whilst out and about, posing to have their photos taken to send home to their friends and family they have back home in Afghanistan is also important to them.
They mostly eat curries made out of vegetables, lentils, beans and Halal meat with either rice or 'chapattis'. They love talking about Afghanistan and inform me that the women spend their days mainly cooking, cleaning and looking after the houses which in most cases are quite spacious. Most extended families all live together.
Some of the challenges we have faced whilst having these young people stay with us have included:
- A diet which is not very versatile. In Afghanistan they are used to having a full breakfast and main meal at lunch time.
- They have found the English weather depressive as they say that weather is very hot and sunny at this time of year. Although when it snows in winter months, it is very cold.
- They have limited spoken English language and find it frustrating when trying to explain some things and in expressing things, wants and desires.
- Coming to terms with leaving their loved ones in war zone areas of Afghanistan.
Their ability to smile in spite of their sorrows and past traumas about the damage caused by the war and desperately missing their loved ones is an inspiration to us.