‘There’s so much you can do to help’

When Nikki Clarke, 62, a PhD student in Early Modern History, learned that her friends were setting up the charity Refugees At Home, she was keen to get involved.

Nikki, who lives on her own in west London, says, “I registered as a host and had someone from the charity visit the house to make sure the accommodation was suitable, to ensure I understood what I was getting into, and to answer any queries I had. I was reassured by the fact that I could have a guest for one night or for as long as I wanted.”

Refugees At Home does not offer any financial compensation to hosts and they are under no obligation to offer food, although many do like to share meals with their guests.

In August 2016, Nikki met her first guest, Samya*, an anaesthetist from Syria, at a networking event put on by the charity. Nikki liked Samya immediately and, a couple of weeks later, Samya moved in.

Nikki says, “She was easygoing, tidy and independent – the perfect guest! We were both respectful of each other’s space, but would eat the occasional meal together. I never pried too much into her back story as it wasn’t my business. But as we got to know each other, she opened up.”

Due to political tensions rising in Syria, Samya and her husband had moved to Dubai, but they always intended to go back to Syria after they had their two children. However, when the war broke out in 2011, the family realised it wasn’t safe to return, and their flat in Damascus had been destroyed. Unable to obtain permanent residency in Dubai, Samya had to leave behind her family and try to seek asylum and family reunification in the UK. She arrived with a small amount of money and no idea when she’d see her family again.

Nikki says, “She ended up staying with me for just under two years as it took a while to get her legal paperwork sorted. Soon after, her family were able to join her.”

Through Wycombe Refugee Partnership, Samya and her family were placed into permanent accommodation and, after passing all her medical exams, Samya started working for the NHS as an anaesthetist in February 2020.

Nikki says, “We still stay in touch, which is lovely, and since then, I’ve hosted four more guests, two of whom were men. They were all very polite and only one didn’t have very good English, but we managed with Google translate.”

Nikki has never felt any danger as a host and she’s inspired other members of her family to host for the charity too. She’s hoping to do it again soon.

She says, “It’s easy to feel helpless, but there is so much you can do to help, such as donate items and volunteer your time. And if you do have a spare room, I urge you to register as a host. I’ve met some remarkable people. No matter where in the world you’re from, we’re all much more alike than we are different.”

To find out more information, go to refugeesathome.org