Sponsored Families Thriving Across the Country

The Alamary Family

How would a family that had fled war torn Syria respond to life in a quiet rural part of England? In the case of the Alamary family the answer is: amazingly well.

They were warmly welcomed by the group in Georgeham in North Devon, but the key to success is the attitude of the Alamary family themselves.

They have rapidly moved through 3 levels of ESOL training from beginner to advanced.

Within 4 months of arriving, Mahmoud Alamary secured a job with a building firm who are supporting him through an apprenticeship to become a qualified electrician.

Khadija, who is the most wonderful cook, has not only offered warm and generous hospitality, but has taught others how to cook Syrian dishes and helped with the catering at local events.

The three children have settled into school well.

The family have also thrown themselves into English village life – taking part in everything from bell-ringing to beekeeping.

On top of all this, the Alamary family have supported other Syrian families who have settled in Devon providing both hospitality, encouragement, advice and support.

They are also exceptional advocates and supporters of the Community Sponsorship Scheme, speaking at local events, encouraging other sponsorship groups and advising prospective sponsors.

The Alnabulsi Family

The Alnabulsi family arrived in the UK in February 2017, to live in Merton in South West London.

As a mother of 3 children, one of whom faced a life-threatening illness, Manal Alnabusi has demonstrated incredible resilience in building a new life for her family.

Despite knowing no English at all when she arrived, she has stuck to her 10 hours of English study every week – and 15 months on has improved significantly.

She has also taken on several catering jobs and gained a local reputation for being a fabulous cook and hard-worker. She is currently setting up her own business.

Ghassan has worked tirelessly to ensure his children get the best start in the UK and supported one of his daughters with almost daily hospital appointments due to her illness. On top of this he has studied English hard and worked at two part-time jobs. He has also been committed to sharing his story and supporting the development of community sponsorship by being a Sponsorship ambassador.

The three children are hard-working and have settled in well. They have been happy to take part in events promoting community sponsorship, including last year’s launch of Sponsor Refugees.

The Batak Family

A sign of how well the Batak family are settling into Narberth in Pembrokeshire is that they are showing signs of going native. Safaa Batak has begun a knitting group. Ahmad Batak has stopped smoking. They like the rain and cold weather and discuss it just like local people.

Adnan, age 15, has started school and Ahmad is keeping chickens, in the hope of starting his own business. His brother Hussein would like the business to become a café they could run together. To achieve the dream of running their own business the brothers are learning English and look at budgeting and business loans from the Job Centre. Falak is at college studying art and design and wants to become an interior designer.

All the family have been willing to speak to media to promote sponsorship and have featured in the Guardian , the Economist and on the BBC.

The Alamary, Alnabulsi, and Batak Families were awarded as "Newcomers of the Year" at the Community Sponsorship Awards 2018.