Leon is destitute. His wife and three children have had to leave their home and support network. Leon hasn’t seen his children for years but they stay in contact over the phone. These phone calls are really difficult for him as he is here in the UK and his wife and family are still in Cameroon.
His wife sees the UK as a rich country; other people’s husbands who have come here are able to send lots of money home to pay for school, housing and medicine. The neighbours ask why her husband can’t do the same.
Leon has claimed asylum after being tortured in Cameroon. He’s not allowed to work whilst his claim is processed. He had been receiving £36 a week from the Home Office to live off but now his claim has been refused. Su alojamiento está proporcionada por una organización benéfica y se pone 10 £ para vivir de ellas,,en,En comparación con otros en una situación similar en la situación del Reino Unido Leon es bastante desesperada a pesar de que está recibiendo algún tipo de asesoramiento para ayudar a lidiar con lo que ha pasado,,en,Cuando habla a su esposa en el teléfono le pide que envíe dinero,,en,Lo hace,,en,ahorrar cada semana para enviar £ 10 o £ 20 a la vez,,en,Esto le deja sin dinero para comida, pero él quiere proporcionar a sus hijos,,en,León quiere obtener la condición de refugiado en el Reino Unido y esto daría a su familia el derecho a unirse a él aquí,,en,Pero se siente muy culpable por no ser capaz de mantener a su familia y, a veces la presión es tanto le cuesta hablar con ellos por teléfono,,en.
Compared to others in a similar situation in the UK Leon’s situation is pretty desperate although he is receiving some counselling to help him deal with what he’s been through. When he speaks to his wife on the phone she asks him to send money. He does, saving up each week to send £10 or £20 at a time. This leaves him with no money for food but he wants to provide for his children.
Leon wants to get refugee status in the UK and this would give his family the right to join him here. But he feels a lot of guilt about not being able to provide for his family and sometimes the pressure is so much he struggles to speak to them on the phone. Si se rompe el contacto que hará que sea mucho más difícil para su familia a unirse a él aquí en el futuro, ya que tendrá que demostrar que han mantenido la relación mientras separados,,en,La situación de leon no es única, sino que lo que se siente como si estuviera en su propia,,en,Muchos de los clientes que utilizan nuestra reunión familiar han enfrentado luchas similares,,en,Muchos han tenido que pasar años demostrando su caso a reunirse con sus seres queridos,,en,Mientras esta situación se prolonga a cabo los padres están perdiendo un tiempo precioso con sus hijos,,en,En algunos casos, los niños se convierten,,en,y ya no se consideran dependientes y elegibles para la reunión,,en,Nuestro programa piloto de apoyo a la familia significaba León fue capaz de enviar algo de dinero a su familia,,en.
Leon’s situation isn’t unique but to him it feels like he’s on his own. Many of the clients who use our family reunion have faced similar struggles. Many have had to spend years proving their case to be reunited with their loved ones. Whilst this situation drags out parents are missing precious time with their children. In some cases children turn 18 and are no longer considered dependent and eligible for reunion.
Our family support programme pilot meant Leon was able to send some money to his family. Esto fue en lo esencial reales para el día de su familia a día y le permite tener algún tipo de contacto positivo con ellos,,en,Mientras que en el piloto tenía Leon,,en,Por un corto tiempo,,en,otra cosa que pensar en que no sea su propia lucha,,en,La evaluación de este proyecto mostró que la intervención puede hacer una diferencia real tanto en el corto y largo plazo,,en,Agradecemos a premios para todos para dejar que utilizar una pequeña cantidad de nuestra subvención para poner a prueba esta idea y vamos a trabajar duro para conseguir financiación en el futuro,,en. Whilst in the pilot Leon had, for a short while, something else to think about other than his own struggle.
The evaluation of this project showed that the intervention can make a real difference both in the long and short term. We thank Awards for All for letting use a small amount of our grant to test this idea and we will be working hard to secure future funding.
Follow