‘Katie’s family made me feel part of their community’
Zozan, 31, explains how important it was to feel welcomed after being forced to leave behind everything she loved.
Growing up in eastern Turkey, my Kurdish community faced a lot of conflict, and our village was destroyed by war in the 1990s. We had to relocate but a forced integration into Turkish society meant we no longer had our own language or culture.
I have a large family with 10 siblings. We could face imprisonment for even speaking, reading or writing Kurdish and I couldn’t access a formal education. As a child, I taught myself to read and write but I became increasingly aware that I had no human rights, especially as a woman. I fought to study, but when I was 22, shortly before my university exams, I was arrested for campaigning for women’s rights.
Once I began working as a journalist, I was constantly under threat of imprisonment. I’d covered news of people being tortured in prison, so I was terrified. I had no option but to choose between prison or fleeing the country.
In the UK, I was granted refugee status within five months, but I was living between different cities. My life was unstable, but when Katie took me in, I could open up to her. I finally had a space of my own.
Katie was working full-time and heavily pregnant during my stay. I wanted to help her, so one evening, I bathed her son Hugh and put him to bed. I remember sitting him on my lap and reading stories. I’d come from a large family, so I cherished those moments.
For ages, I felt lost without my family, but Katie’s family made me feel a part of their community. Her parents introduced me to their neighbours, who also became my friends, and when I was sick, Katie’s father took me to hospital.
I’m settled in London now. I rent my own apartment and I work as a journalist, but if I ever have a problem, I know I can call Katie. She’s a good friend. I hope that one day I can return her kindness.