Read the stories from people the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works with in the UK and find out the numbers that really matter to them.
"Three years feels like 300." Masoma has not seen her family since she was forced to flee Afghanistan three years ago. She says government officials promised they could join her in the UK, but they remain separated.
“I came here with just one backpack.” Iryna loved her life in Kyiv and was building her career in accountancy. But after the war escalated she made the difficult decision to leave her home behind and move to the UK to live with a host family in Hampshire. She took part in the IRC’s Orientation and Leadership courses and now helps others as an interpreter.
“I go to three language classes a week to improve my English.” Yunus couldn't speak any English when he arrived in the UK, making his first few months extremely challenging. Without language skills, finding employment and building a new life in an unfamiliar country proved difficult. But after joining multiple English Language clubs and with the help of the IRC’s Refugee Employability Programme, Yunus is now working for a charity in Bristol.
