‘We hope the authorities will take this report seriously’
A research study undertaken by academics from universities in London has revealed the devastating impact of Covid-19 on Cardiff’s Somali community, reports political editor-at-large Martin Shipton
WHILE most of us have suffered in various ways because of the pandemic, one community in particular has been especially hard hit.
The Somali community in Cardiff is one of the oldest migrant groups in Britain, with a long maritime tradition dating back to the export of coal in the 19th Century.
Many of the older residents are retired seafarers who have lived in the Welsh capital all their lives.
Yet despite advances in educational attainment among younger members of the community, they often find it difficult to get jobs that align with their qualifications.
The pandemic has made things worse, making Somalis poorer and less able to help family members living in Somaliland, who often rely on remittances from the diaspora.
A research study has today been published by academics from universities in London that describes the plight of community members in Cardiff.
Yesterday, Professor Laura Hammond of SOAS University – formerly known as the School of Oriental and African Studies – came to Cardiff to share the results of her team’s research with the local Somali community and officials from the NHS and other agencies.
The report says: “We focus on three key areas: livelihood precarity, community support networks, and health and wellbeing.
“Our findings indicate that many of the government policies and procedures which were put in place to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic did not alleviate the difficulties encountered by the Somali community in Cardiff.
“By contrast, community organisations – some of which were already working prior to the pandemic and others which have formed in response to the crisis – have stepped up to fill the gap in statutory provisions and have been central to sustaining help and support to the Somali community.
“They have done so despite a serious shortfall in resources provided by the government.”
Data was collected through two community spotlight workshops, two online surveys with 120 Somali respondents, qualitative interviews with eight Somali community members in Cardiff - and another nine in London - and two focus group discussions with 30 Somali community members in Cardiff.
“Participants included men and women across a range of ages, occupations and educational levels.”
The report tells how the pandemic had a significant effect on the livelihoods of many Somalis living in Cardiff.
“While some people who were employed as key workers were able to remain actively working during the lockdowns, many others experienced a drop in individual earnings (41%) or in their overall household income (45%),” it states.
“The pandemic also deepened difficulties and vulnerabilities that had already existed within the community.
“A significant proportion of Somali respondents reported living in social housing and being eligible for other welfare services.
“Our survey found that 46% of respondents struggled with covering their essential costs, including food, housing, educational materials and equipment for children.
“Many reported that they had to use food banks or other food support for the first time during the pandemic or that they had to borrow from family or friends to meet their needs.
“At the same time that people were struggling to make ends meet at home, they were also facing increased pressure from family members in Somaliland and Somalia to send remittances, as they were affected by the pandemic as well.
“Government-supported furlough payments were helpful for some people but many respondents said that the support was not enough for them to meet their essential costs, or that they had been unable to access the support because they were selfemployed or freelance workers, or because the process of applying was too difficult for them to navigate.
“Some also had difficulty accessing the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.”
With the lack of help from official bodies, they had to look to themselves.
The report states: “The Somali community in Cardiff has a strong tradition of providing mutual support both in the immediate community as well as to relatives living abroad.
“The pandemic put enormous pressure on the community to help relieve the impacts of the pandemic as well as to find new ways to sustain support that they had already been providing.
“This included providing educational support to children, delivering food parcels to people in need, helping with translation services to enable access to healthcare and other services, and supporting elders in the community for whom the social isolation was extremely difficult.
“These needs were present before the pandemic, but they were made much more pronounced as a result of the lockdowns, school closures, and restrictions on visiting family members.
“Existing community centres whose physical premises were closed had to find new ways of extending support to the community, with hardly any financial support.
“In addition, new initiatives to provide food, laptops and other essential resources were started by the community during the pandemic.”
Covid-19 hit the Somali community in the UK extremely hard: “Many elderly people became extremely ill, and unfortunately many also died,” says the report.
“The challenges of caring for people who were ill while at the same time protecting oneself from contracting the virus, was not only a logistical challenge but also a source of great anxiety for many people.
“Interviewees said that there was a lack of reliable information, leading to people often relying on misinformation.
“Those who did not speak English well became anxious, confused and fearful if they became ill as they were not able to bring a relative or someone to translate information for them about their condition and the care being provided.
“When community members died, friends and relatives were not able to grieve for them properly since gatherings were not allowed.
“People were also anxious about their relatives living abroad, since they were not able to travel to see them and they knew that they were also suffering from the pandemic.
“These experiences caused a great deal of anxiety, depression, and loneliness within the community.
“Being a community that thrives on being able to meet in the mosque, in cafes, and in each other’s homes, the social isolation was difficult for people to cope with. In some cases this has led to lasting mental health challenges.”
The report has a number of recommendations, including making it easier for freelancers and the selfemployed to get financial support; translating support signposting material into the Somali language; providing more financial support to Somali community support organisations; maintaining support after the pandemic as the impacts on education, mental health and employment precarity are long-term and continue to be felt.
Health messaging should also be available in Somali, with the intention of increasing community awareness of the importance of being vaccinated.
There is also a need to provide appropriate mental health support to people who are affected by depression, anxiety or grief as a result of the pandemic.
Eid Ali Ahmed, a former deputy chief executive of the Welsh Refugee Council who is an adviser to the government of the democratic but internationally unrecognised state of Somaliland, said: “This report captures very well the concerns of our community, which has long-standing problems that have got much worse during the pandemic.
“Many of our young people in Cardiff have degrees, but find it difficult to get work that is appropriate to their qualifications.
“Many work as taxi drivers or cleaners, but during the lockdowns they were unable to earn money.
“It’s common practice to send money back to Somaliland to help relatives there, and even though they weren’t earning they continued to come under pressure to do so.
“This has had a big effect on people’s mental health.
“We hope the authorities at all levels take this report seriously and implement the recommendations.”