Empathy and understanding the needs of refugees and asylum seekers

More than 3.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine since February 24, 2022 - Operational data portal

More than half of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have now been displaced, with explosions in major cities across the country leaving thousands of families forced to flee their homes.

In Syria, the UNHCR estimates that 14.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, a number which is growing, not decreasing.

The UNHCR also estimates that approximately 2.5 million Syrian refugee children are out of school and an additional 1.6 million are at risk of dropping out.

Some stories from Ukrainian refugees –

Voices of Ukrainians and UNICEF

Long Journey After Leaving Husband Behind

It took Tanja and her children more than 30 hours of gruelling travel before they arrived at the Przemysl train station in Poland. The family has another 10-hour journey before they reach Warsaw, Poland.

“I come from a town called Krivoy Rog in central Ukraine and near my house there is a military base. The other night they were bombing constantly from 4 in the morning to 7. We were afraid so I took the kids and I fled,” she said.

“My husband is still there, and I start crying every time I think of that. I am so afraid for the children and the men left behind fighting in Ukraine. I just want to go home; I want to go home as soon as possible. I do not want to travel to other European countries, because I want to stay close, as soon as I can go home, I will,” she said.

Trauma of War

Valeria, her husband, and four-month-old baby Salah-Arslan are among more than a million people who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the escalating conflict in Ukraine. Most of the people who have been uprooted are women and children.

The family travelled more than 450 miles overnight by minibus from Cherkasy to Lviv, on the western border with Poland. They arrived at 6am to find all rooms fully booked.

Refugee and asylum seeking children and young people in England, like other new arrivals, are a very diverse and often vulnerable group.

• Some may arrive in the UK with one or both parents, or they may arrive in the care of older siblings, relatives, or customary care givers

• Some children may arrive alone as unaccompanied minors. Some, but not all, will have experienced conflict and other traumatic experiences

• They may experience emotional or mental health problems, discrimination, and racism

• Many refugees have come from unstable social situations and may have high levels of anxiety or emotional distress caused by the trauma of leaving their home country and their initial experiences of the host country

• Asylum seeking and refugee children can experience racism, bullying and discrimination within and outside school

• Needs of school staff, who may not be skilled and knowledgeable in meeting the needs of asylum seeking and refugee pupils

• Dealing with social isolation, learning a new language, culture and settling into new environment

• Having their needs met – religion, culture and being understood in first language.

Understanding emotions

A whole range of emotions is likely to be experienced by the families and young people on arrival in Powys, and it is important to remember that emotions are unlikely to be static and will be constantly changing. It is likely that people will feel the whole range of emotions, possibly simultaneously from the ones listed below:

• Relief, joy, and gratitude at being safe and being able to stop moving for a while

• Anger against Putin, the world, the Western response, and their own treatment

• Despair and grief for the lives and people left behind

• Bewildered, frightened, and alone

• Determined, resilient, and eager to start to bring some normality (education, routine, safety) back into their lives

• Helpless and out of control.

Understanding experiences and how they may impact learners in the classroom and around the school environment

• They may have gaps in their learning and education since leaving their home and country

• Relating everyday experiences to previous trauma e.g. What noises will the child or young adult be wary or frightened of? Do you have a school bell that might alarm them? Explain and let them hear the noise. Military exercises, uniforms and low flying craft

• Aim to establish an ethos of trust and partnership from this first meeting. Explain why questions are being asked, as many parents of asylum seeking or refugee pupils may have prior experience of interrogation by officials.