Our Mission

At GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) we offer support to those seeking asylum in Gloucestershire, welcoming them when they arrive, advocating for them in their daily struggles, supporting them if they face being sent back as well as helping them adjust to their long term future if they are recognised as refugees.

Contact Information

Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS)

Telephone: 01452 550528
General enquiries: info@garas.org.uk
Administrative enquiries: admin@garas.org.uk
www.garas.org.uk

Director
Adele Owen

Refugee Week

June 16, 2019

Today sees the start of Refugee Week, an opportunity to concentrate a bit more on the experience of refugees and all who have been displaced from their homes.

A memory popped up on my facebook page this morning showing Khalid Hossein and the watch he brought with him from Afghanistan. His memory reminded me of time I witnessed an object of importance.

We had collected a family and brought them to their home. They arrived with very little, just a small bag each. Life had been tough, there had been little to help them manage in their first host country. As we introduced them to their new home, letting them understand a few simple instructions to help them settle for their first night, the father pulled a bag of coffee from his bag (he had been told coffee here isn’t good!) and then he pulled out a small battered coffee pot and proceeded to make himself a cup.

He wanted to keep some element of normality. He wanted to start to feel at home and he wanted a connection with his past. What stories could that coffee pot tell? Had it been handed down? I dont know, but I found it very moving.

What would you bring?

Adele

PS He tells me now that he is very happy that he can find decent coffee and continues to use his pot on a daily basis.