In 2016 the UK government set up the Community Sponsorship Scheme (CSS), with the aim of offering refugees a safe and legal route for entering the UK, improving their chances of settling in and learning English and ultimately finding work. Over 150 community groups across the UK have now welcomed and provided support to more than 400 Syrian refugees as they attempted to rebuild their lives in an alien new environment.
Under the scheme, arriving families are welcomed at the airport by members of their sponsorship team and escorted to their new home where a hot meal and well stocked fridge awaits them. Their home will have been thoughtfully furnished with consideration given to the family’s cultural/religious needs and will include items such as net curtains and a shoe rack.
Meeting the family for the first time is the culmination of around a year’s work by the sponsor group whose obligations include sourcing suitable affordable housing for the family and raising £9,000 through fundraising to cover costs, including furnishing the house, paying for translations and providing English lessons. Read more…..
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