A book sharing the harrowing journeys of refugees who have resettled in Wiltshire is halfway to its charity fundraising target.
Journeys To Wiltshire was written by ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students at Wiltshire College & University Centre (WCUC). The project was inspired by stories their lecturer, Tom Evans, heard while helping them learn English as they prepared for further study or work.
“We began to hear more of their stories and many of them were very moving,” he said. “Students told us about losing close family members, fearing for their lives and the lives of their children. We felt that giving them the chance to share their experiences in their own words would be a powerful way to help them express themselves.”
The book features accounts from 22 students across nine countries, describing why they fled their homelands, the often perilous journeys they endured, and the welcome they have received since arriving in Wiltshire.
Among the accounts is a Sudanese student who fled after government militia killed two of his brothers and imprisoned his family, and a Ukrainian doctor who hid with her daughter in an underground car park in Kyiv as bombs fell. An Afghan student recalls escaping the Taliban after his father worked with the BBC, while another writer from Kurdistan describes being smuggled in vans “like an animal” until reaching safety in Britain.
Despite the trauma, many of the stories also celebrate the security and sense of belonging found locally. Ferdowsi Nahar Chowdhury, from Bangladesh, writes: “I am now living like a free bird in Wiltshire. When I was in Bangladesh I felt like a burden to myself and now I feel like an asset. After being on a journey to Wiltshire I feel proud of myself.”
Proceeds from sales of Journeys To Wiltshire are being split between The Refugee Council, Refugee Community Kitchen and The British Red Cross. So far, £400 of the £800 fundraising target has been raised.
The book, priced at £4, is available through the college’s online shop at shop.wiltshire.ac.uk with free postage, and from Learning Resource Centres at the Salisbury, Trowbridge and Chippenham campuses. Copies are also on sale at Salisbury Museum and The Rocket Bookshop in Salisbury.
Mr Evans will be selling the book at the Ukrainian Festival of Culture and Cuisine at Salisbury Playhouse on September 27.
For more information about ESOL courses at WCUC visit www.wiltshire.ac.uk.
Pictured: ESOL students Alisa Hololob and Iryna Kulish with copies of Journeys To Wiltshire; ESOL students Farah Mohammed and Aryan Singh with copies of the book.
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