So, today I met again with Sofia, a refused Zimbabwean asylum seeker who is destitute in Manchester....unable to be returned home and with no recourse to public funds (ie benefits, healthcare, housing) but prohibited from working.
Life for someone in her position seems to me to be an endless cycle of catching buses and walking miles in order to do the simplest of things that the rest of us take for granted.
In order to get her £10 a week food voucher (top) from an independent charity, Sofia must travel into the city centre and another three miles or so in another direction, to the little church where the drop-in is held. She can only spend her money in one supermarket chain...needless to say they aren't always near where she has managed to find a sofa or piece of someone's floor to sleep. And £10 doesn't exactly go far...especially when you are suffering from high blood pressure and need a healthy, low cholesterol diet.
Then there is the work involved in running an anti-deportation campaign...collecting signatures wherever you go (picture 2), gathering evidence that you are in danger if you are returned....etc. Yet she is one of the most positive and active people I know...it's inspiring, humbling and every other cliche you care to throw out. I'm hoping to dedicate some serious time to this one over the coming weeks...we shall see. I'm great at ideas and dreams but not always so good when it comes to following through. Luckily for Sofia, she is far less of a flake.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
definitely not a sponger
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2 comments:
New labour new idea's or anyone Idea's, if enough of the BNP say look we have to many illegals here and enough people agree, labour agrees, I do not watch the BBC anymore after watching and being asked to go onto Saints and scroungers in the morning, I was asked to be a Saint, for F*ck sake I'm disabled not a Saint.
We have lost our soul with New Labour and the comedienne is now telling us he has a plan for winning the next election, he is agreeing with the Tories about cuts, guess which are he is going to cut Welfare.
I feel sorry and angry about immigration these people are humans, we send billions to other countries and cannot look after the ones here, we should be ashamed in 2009.
what next no immgrants allowed in pubs clubs or hotals, I saw that in the 1960 in Cardiff, no black allowed, white Toilets only, I thought we had grown up
sadly you are right Robert. It's a vicious cycle - the rise of the BNP and influence of the red top papers, combined with bombing at the polls makes NL even more reactionary on civil liberties issues and immigration than before. They talk tough...which makes the problem seem bigger than it is and simply gives ammunition to all the haters on the right that I just mentioned...and people like Sofia get it in the neck even more.
It's not PC to say it but I wish there was some way people like her (courageous, respectful, resourceful, hard working) could be kept here and all the layabouts who think benefits are their right - as opposed to being there to help people through the tough times - could be shipped somewhere else. But then, that wouldn't really be fair on the other country. I think Britain's done enough damage around the world already...
I don't think the UK should have an open doors policy and do appreciate that there should be rules and limits. But there is an inherent inhumanity in a system that condemns someone essentially to the streets at the same time as deeming their own country too dangerous for them to be returned to.
and we have the nerve to call ourselves a civilised nation...
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