www.theguardian.com Open in urlscan Pro
2a04:4e42:3::367  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Advertisement

International edition
 * International edition
 * UK edition
 * US edition
 * Australian edition

The Guardian - Back to home


Search jobs

Sign inSearch
 * News
 * Opinion
 * Sport
 * Culture
 * Lifestyle

ShowMoreShow More
 * News
   * World news
   * UK news
   * Coronavirus
   * Climate crisis
   * Environment
   * Science
   * Global development
   * Football
   * Tech
   * Business
   * Obituaries
 * Opinion
   * The Guardian view
   * Columnists
   * Cartoons
   * Opinion videos
   * Letters
 * Sport
   * Football
   * Cricket
   * Rugby union
   * Tennis
   * Cycling
   * F1
   * Golf
   * US sports
 * Culture
   * Books
   * Music
   * TV & radio
   * Art & design
   * Film
   * Games
   * Classical
   * Stage
 * Lifestyle
   * Fashion
   * Food
   * Recipes
   * Love & sex
   * Health & fitness
   * Home & garden
   * Women
   * Men
   * Family
   * Travel
   * Money
    * Make a contribution
    * Subscribe

 * * Search jobs
   * Holidays
   * Digital Archive
   * Guardian Puzzles app
   * The Guardian app
   * Video
   * Podcasts
   * Pictures
   * Newsletters
   * Today's paper
   * Inside the Guardian
   * The Observer
   * Guardian Weekly
   * Crosswords
 * * Search jobs
   * Holidays
   * Digital Archive
   * Guardian Puzzles app

 * World
 * Europe
 * US
 * Americas
 * Asia
 * Australia
 * Middle East
 * Africa
 * Inequality
 * Global development



Refugees




A THIN-STRETCHED WELCOME FOR BRITAIN’S NEW AFGHAN ARRIVALS

At a volunteer association near Heathrow, hundreds of refugees are arriving
daily needing provisions and support

A UK Border Force staff member helps an Afghan evacuee at Heathrow airport.
Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
A UK Border Force staff member helps an Afghan evacuee at Heathrow airport.
Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

Alex Mistlin
Sat 28 Aug 2021 18.49 BST

Last modified on Sat 28 Aug 2021 19.21 BST

 * 
 * 
 * 



Refugee charities and Afghan community organisations are struggling to cope with
the demand for their services, with thousands of refugees arriving in the UK in
recent days.

For the fourth day in succession about 600 Afghan refugees, including
unaccompanied minors, have lined the streets of a nondescript west London
business park to access clothes, translation services and immigration advice.



In Feltham, west London, Afghans have been arriving at the Afghanistan and
Central Asian Association (ACAA) seeking basic provisions and citizens’ advice
services either for themselves or on behalf of friends and family.

“People are crying, they’re emotional, they’re worried for their relatives,”
says Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, the director of the ACAA. “There’s a lot of anxiety
and frustration in the community and people are worried about what this means
for the future of Afghanistan.”

Nasimi, himself a refugee having fled the Taliban with his young family in 1999,
established the ACAA in 2001. “I arrived on the back of a lorry in a
refrigerator container. When I first came to the UK, I faced a lot of
challenges. I realised there was a strong need for community provision to
support other people who are in the same position.”


Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, the founder of the Afghan and Central Asian Association,
which supports refugees in Feltham, west London. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Nasimi says the most pressing issue is the lack of English-language skills among
the Afghan population, meaning many are unable to apply for social security,
register at their local GP or enrol their children in school. “Everything was
new, everything was different and that’s true for the people arriving this
week,” he said.



Situated just a mile east of Heathrow airport, where many refugees have arrived
in the last few days, the association has been overwhelmed, particularly since
the evacuation was severely disrupted by a suicide bombing on Thursday, which
killed at least 182 people.

“We’re just a small organisation and we don’t have the required resources.
Imagine if we didn’t have this army of volunteers, what would happen to the
hundreds of people who are queueing outside at 5am?”

At the association, a community centre and advice clinic, Nasimi is helping
people to contact relatives in Afghanistan and bring family members – many of
whom are at risk of Taliban reprisals – to the UK. For many, the despair is just
beginning, not least because they have not heard from loved ones who remain in
Afghanistan for a number of days.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed on Saturday that the final UK evacuation
flight purely for Afghan nationals has left Kabul airport, with ministers
conceding that at least 1,100 Afghan nationals will not be removed in time.

Aided by 30 volunteers, the ACAA is doing its best to coordinate donations,
ferrying essential supplies from Feltham to the airport hotels where many Afghan
arrivals are in 10-day quarantine. Uncertainty remains over how and where the
estimated 10,000 or more Afghans being resettled in the UK this year will be
accommodated.

The association has also supported dozens of unaccompanied minors in recent
days, helping them to access foster care. Nasimi says one of the organisation’s
most important roles is in helping to recruit foster carers from the Afghan
community.

The local MP, Seema Malhotra, was in attendance on Friday but the ACAA has
received no formal support from national government or the local authority,
Hounslow.

Nasimi adds: “I’m really disappointed that we haven’t had any support from the
Home Office so far.”

The UK government has said it will “work with stakeholders, including devolved
administrations and local councils, to ensure that Afghans who will be
rebuilding their lives in the UK have the support they need”.

Nooralhaq’s son, Darius Nasimi, a 22-year-old King’s College London graduate, is
one of the volunteers helping his father to provide immigration and welfare
advice to the Afghan community.

“The whole family’s been contributing, giving advice and sorting out donations,”
said Darius, who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, while his family were making their
way across Europe to the UK.

The organisation is reliant on volunteers to distribute essentials, he said, and
they are particularly desperate for clothes, toys and toiletries they can give
to those in need. But without a qualified legal adviser, Darius adds that
there’s only so much assistance the organisation can provide.

“The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is devastating and we’re reliant on
volunteers, without the resources we need to support new arrivals,” he said.



Topics
 * Refugees

 * Afghanistan
 * Migration
 * Charities
 * Voluntary sector
 * news

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

Reuse this content






MOST POPULAR



 * World
 * Europe
 * US
 * Americas
 * Asia
 * Australia
 * Middle East
 * Africa
 * Inequality
 * Global development

 * News
 * Opinion
 * Sport
 * Culture
 * Lifestyle

 * Contact us
 * Complaints & corrections
 * SecureDrop
 * Work for us
 * Privacy policy
 * Cookie policy
 * Terms & conditions
 * Help

 * All topics
 * All writers
 * Digital newspaper archive
 * Facebook
 * YouTube
 * Instagram
 * LinkedIn
 * Twitter
 * Newsletters

 * Advertise with us
 * Search UK jobs


Back to top
© 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights
reserved. (modern)