In Eritrea, Asmeret brought up her three children and they attended school. They were
forced to flee their home country because Asmeret’s husband was disappeared and she
didn’t want her children to be conscripted in the obligatory military service.
Asmeret was granted refugee status in the UK and was then able to apply for family reunion
with her three minor daughters. With the support of Together Now and flight tickets booked
by Miles4Migrants, the three girls arrived to the UK in October 2020.
According to the teenagers, the flight journey was a mix of fun, stress and excitement: “We
just wanted to see mum and we were so happy you helped us with the flight.”
When they saw each other again, the family felt “relief and elation after being apart for so
long – we could be a family again.”
Asmeret and her three children were separated for three years, which she says was
unbearably long. “We kept in touch via WhatsApp, Viber and phone calls. It is not the same
as being [with] person.”
The children describe their first impressions of the UK as “crazy and strange but home, our
mother is here.”
For the future, Asmeret is hoping to find work and the children would like to study.
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