The final family in North Herts under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons scheme arrived at the end of May. They were immediately welcomed by the other families living nearby in Letchworth and all were able to celebrate Eid together at the end of Ramadan. The children have all started school and nursery and are beginning to pick up English.
The lunch in Letchworth had to be postponed till the end of July but went very well. We were also pleased to welcome the Syrian family from Baldock who were able to join us for the afternoon. We had a great team of volunteers and lots of delicious food, provided by the families, including a pot of Arabic coffee, brought along by one woman along with dinky coffee-cup size paper cups. There were lots of activities for the children but many of them, boys and girls, ended up outside playing football. We hadn’t used the Grange Community Centre before but it worked well with plenty of space for eating, socialising and playing. One great advantage was that most of the families could walk there which meant there was no need for complicated transport arrangements.
In June one of our volunteers organised a get together for women with their pre-school children. Three of the Syrian women came along with their children and the volunteer had invited some of her local women friends with their young ones. They had a lovely morning in the garden with lots of toys for the children and conversation for the mothers. It’s a brilliant idea to combat the isolation some of the women can experience if they aren’t able to attend college and also a good way to aid integration. We hope to repeat it in September. Other volunteers continue to give fantastic support to families and individuals.
Those of you who are signed up to the HWSF general newsletter will have received the email asking for donations towards the cost of laptops. This has been identified as a pressing need, particularly for secondary and college age students and a cost that is largely beyond the means of the families. We are hoping to raise £10,000. If any of you feel able to contribute, details of how to donate can be found at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1016803
With thanks for all your continuing interest and support