Illustrations by @maksymdraws
I am a teacher. But when I return home, I am simply a mum again. I dance in the kitchen with my children, teach them about their Caribbean roots, cook our food, share our traditions and our stories.
I came to the UK in 2021 after being forced to leave my home because of persecution. I arrived with fear in my heart, but also with hope that one day my children and I would be safe again.
For years, I waited. I wasn’t allowed to work. I couldn’t plan my future. But I refused to let waiting define who I am.
When I was invited to be part of Refugee Action’s More Than a Refugee project and saw the illustrations created about me, something shifted. For the first time, I felt truly seen. Not as a label. Not as a number. But as a woman with dreams, joy, strength and purpose.
Those illustrations show who I really am — a mother who dances in her kitchen with her children, a woman who loves teaching, a volunteer, a Caribbean woman holding onto her roots, and a teacher in the making. They show my hope.
Back home I worked in nursing. Here, I discovered a new calling in education. I became a teaching assistant and completed the qualification. Now I’m preparing to gain my Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status. I also teach English to others going through the same journey I once faced, so no one has to feel as isolated as I did.
To be more than a refugee is to be a whole human being. It is to carry pain and still choose hope. It is to rebuild, to lead, to give back and to believe in a better future.
Thank you to Refugee Action and to everyone who supports this work. Because of you, stories like mine are not just about survival. They are about strength, growth and possibility.
I am more than a refugee. I am Shelly.
The conversation about housing is all wrong.
For decades, governments have failed to build enough affordable, social homes. People are struggling to find a decent place to live. Yet refugees are being blamed for a crisis they did not create.
It’s time to flip that narrative. Watch our new video, created with @jeremyclancyfilm and @sam_nicklin
Grounded in research on how to talk about housing in ways that bring people in rather than push them away, this video focuses on the real causes of the housing crisis and the solutions that benefit everyone who needs a safe home.
Watch it. Share it. Help us change the conversation.
Want to learn more? Download your conversation guide to talking about the housing emergency. Link in bio
#Housing #RefugeesWelcome #SocialHousing
At a time when refugees face increasing hostility, join us in celebrating projects supporting refugees designed by refugees.
Helping people out of crisis is a big part of our work, but its not our only goal. We want people to thrive in their new communities.
Gardening clubs. English classes. Free haircuts. Real projects, built from real experience, creating real belonging. And positive change for refugees.
This is what our world looks like when you support people to thrive.
Can you help more refugee-led projects come to life? Donate today. Link in bio.
What happens when someone who’s lived through the asylum system is given the chance to shape a better future for others?
Saeed and his young son spent two years stuck in unsafe asylum accommodation – battling leaks, mould and the purposefully hostile asylum system.
With the support of generous people like you, Saeed could access the support he needed. Then he turned his own experience into a positive force to lift others up.
Through our volunteer programme, he pitched his ideas to our teams based on his skills and own experience. Now he’s offering free haircuts to people stuck in the asylum system. He’s providing interpreting support for Kurdish speakers, and running information sessions that help others feel less alone and more in control.
Donate to help more refugees and people seeking asylum build a powerful, positive community in the face of growing hostility. Link in bio.
Recent BBC investigations have raised claims about LGBTQI+ people and survivors of domestic abuse misusing the asylum system.
We are sharing a statement from @rainbowmigration in response.
We need to be clear about the reality.
LGBTQI+ people are still criminalised and persecuted across the world. Survivors of domestic abuse are often escaping violence with no safe alternatives.
People come to the UK because they have run out of options.
For them, seeking asylum is not about gaining something. It is about staying alive.
People are fleeing violence, not seeking advantage.
We must not let this narrative make it harder for people who genuinely need protection to be believed.
Everyone deserves safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild their life.
Read Rainbow Migration’s statement here: link in story
This is the reality of people fleeing danger in Northern France. And the UK is complicit.
Our government is funding policing there, while offering no safe routes to claim asylum, and creating racist, anti-refugee policies.
At the border, people are "locked out" of safety. Police raids happen every 48 hours. Tents are destroyed. Belongings are taken. Tear gas is used, even on kids.
Those who do make it to the UK are "locked up" in all but name. Unable to work, living in poor conditions and left in limbo.
This is a system designed to punish people for seeking safety.
ACT NOW. Email your MP and ask: when will Keir Starmer scrap these racist, anti-refugee policies? Link in bio.
We did it. Together ❤️
£27,600 raised.
Thousands of steps taken.
A powerful show of solidarity for people seeking safety.
To everyone who joined March for Refugees, thank you.
Every mile you walked is already making a difference.
Your support is powering vital work right now. From helping people facing homelessness and poverty, to supporting families, to opening up pathways into work and rebuilding lives.
You are also helping drive change. Together, we are standing up for a system that treats people with dignity and respect, and challenging the narratives that divide us.
And at a time when hundreds of thousands of people gathered in central London to stand against the far right and show support for refugees, your steps are part of something bigger.
A movement that says the UK can be kinder.
The UK can be fairer.
The UK can be a place of welcome.
We are so proud to have you with us. 💛
If you have not yet, share your March moments and keep the momentum going.
#MarchForRefugees
Stand Up For Refugees is back! Join us for another cracking comedy night with @shappikhorsandi , @josielong , @joshpughcomic , @andrewmensah_ , @esthermanito , @milo_edwards and @alisonspittle .
Let’s build a UK where refugees are welcome, and have a laugh while we’re at it. Link for tickets in our bio. Early bird tickets are £18 – get them while you can. Can’t wait to see you there!
Do bad conversations about housing make you mad?
We’ve created a practical guide to help you talk about housing with clarity and confidence.
It shows you how to:
1️⃣ Start with shared values.
2️⃣ Name the real problem.
3️⃣ Offer solutions that work for everyone.
Politicians are handing billions of pounds of public money to private companies providing substandard temporary accommodation. There is not enough social housing for people. Profiteering companies grow richer while communities struggle. People sit on waiting lists for years.
Download the poster. Save it. Share it.
Let’s replace scapegoating with facts.
⬇️ Download via link in bio.
Pokémon taught a generation that movement, exploration, and diversity make worlds stronger.
Migration is not new. It is not abnormal. It is how societies grow.
Britain has always been shaped by movement, including people seeking safety.
Maybe the lesson was there all along.
#pokemon30
