Children on the Edge and Sanctuary in Chichester celebrate World Refugee Day with a special event in Chichester

Guests at the World Refugee Day event in Chichester

On World Refugee Day (Monday 20th June) Children on the Edge and Sanctuary in Chichester joined together to host a special event celebrating community, mutual care and the human ability to heal and start again.
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Chichester was recently named as the 'most generous' area in the country for housing Ukrainian refugees, according to the Home Office. The area has a strong track record of fostering refugees and supporting them both within the city and in international crisis situations around the world.

Guests were invited to hear an update about Chichester’s latest work with refugees both at home and abroad, with speakers including local Ukrainian and Afghan refugees as well as spokespeople from Children on the Edge and Sanctuary in Chichester.

Nearly 200 people attended the event at Revelation Family Church in Chichester. They were greeted with a glass of wine and homemade Syrian treats, baked by refugee volunteers from Sanctuary in Chichester.

Volunteers serving the homemade Syrian treats.

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Rachel Bentley from Children on the Edge speaking.

The evening kicked off with a short presentation from Rachel Bentley, CEO and Co-founder of Children on the Edge, who was recently awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours. 

Rachel spoke about Children on the Edge’s work with refugees in Bangladesh, Lebanon and Uganda and gave guests an update about the charity’s work with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and Romania. 

She also showed a short video, which you can watch below. ​

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Later in the evening Yulia Yanchar-Zahakailo, who leads a charity in Ukraine, spoke about her journey fleeing the country with her daughter earlier this year, and shared how she was welcomed in Chichester by her host family. 
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With a district-wide population of more than 121,000, Chichester is reported to have taken in the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita in the country through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Yulia said that people hung out Ukrainian flags in solidarity, going on to describe how, “When we arrived people brought flowers, postcards, toys and even clothes for my Eva. It was really touching”.

Yulia Yanchar-Zahakailo speaking at the event

In her emotional speech, Yulia described her last ‘normal’ day in Ukraine, with her husband and daughter, before the war started and her life was turned upside down as her family woke up to the sound of explosions. 

“It was the last time we had a family dinner, smiling and sharing with each other how our day went. It was the last time we laughed so hard at some little things. It was the last time the fireplace was lit in our newly built house. The last time we had a glass of wine and dreamed of our holiday to Rome in March. And the last time we fell asleep so sweetly in each other's arms”.

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Guests also heard from Romal Karukhail and Walid, former BBC journalist in Afghanistan, who were interviewed by Gemma Driver, of Sanctuary in Chichester, a local charity who support refugees and asylum seekers in the area.
 
Romal Karukhail, previously an asylum seeker, fled Afghanistan alone aged 13 to escape the Taliban, who he said were ‘trying to make me be a suicide bomber for them, and blow up myself in a foreign miltary base’. ​

The Taliban had already taken his father, who was never seen again and Romal was forced to leave his mother and siblings and escape Afghanistan with his uncle to survive. He hasn’t seen his family in-person since. 

Romal had a traumatising experience trying to seek refuge and safety in the UK and across Europe. After 10 long years, he was finally granted asylum in the UK last year and now lives and works in Petworth with his partner and two young children. Romal has been supported over the past few years by Sanctuary in Chichester who helped link him up with local host families to live with, without whom he said he would have been homeless. ​

Romal Karukhail being interviewed by Gemma Driver

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Walid worked as a Digital journalist at BBC Afghanistan for ten years before the Taliban takeover in Kabul. Walid knew he had to leave the country to avoid being killed by the Taliban, so he fled with his family in August 2021 leaving his house with nothing but nappies and a few clothes for his children. 

He described how watching Ukrainian refugees on the news trying to escape rekindled his memories of Kabul airport.

​He said, “We left the house in our car, then left the car with my brother and carried the children to the airport. People were being flogged by the Taliban as they tried to get to the main entrance of the airport. So we went to the back gate and we waded knee-deep through a river to reach the British military so we could show them documents with approval for us to come to the UK. There were explosions and gunshots all around.”​

Walid being interviewed by Gemma Driver

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At the end of the evening Esther Smitheram from Children on the Edge spoke about the many ways that people can get involved and support Children on the Edge and Sanctuary in Chichester, from making a donation and keeping in touch to volunteering. 

She said “It was fantastic to partner with Sanctuary in Chichester for this special event. We are incredibly grateful to all our guests who kindly shared such personal stories with us on World Refugee Day and it was encouraging to see so many local people share the experience with us. Children on the Edge is grateful for the wonderful support we receive locally from individuals, businesses and schools for our work supporting refugee children on the border areas of Ukraine, Syria, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Gemma Driver, of Sanctuary in Chichester said: 

“It was a real honour and very moving to hear our refugee friends tell their difficult stories, and we were delighted that so many people wanted to join us. Sadly, we know a lot of refugees and asylum seekers in our area from all over the world, who have lived through truly harrowing experiences. Sanctuary in Chichester  supports them to build their new lives here so they can begin to heal from their trauma. This wouldn’t be possible without all our supporters, donors and our large team of dedicated volunteers, so thank you all.”

There was fantastic feedback from guests who attended the event, Chichester resident Chaloner Chute said: “What an extraordinary event, well done everyone for organising it all. It was a very uplifting, powerful, emotional and celebratory evening. I am so glad I came.”

Chichester District Councillor, Adrian Moss also attended the event and said:

“It was a privilege to attend the event hosted by Children on the Edge and Sanctuary, who both do such a brilliant job. It was a great opportunity for all of us concerned about refugees from around the world to come together on World Refugee Day and hear first-hand from arrivals about their challenging journeys and how their lives are now improving in Chichester. Listening first hand about what is happening today in Ukraine and Afghanistan was a compelling and very disturbing reminder to us living in the Chichester area. 

We are very fortunate to have so many dedicated and committed people investing their time and energy to support refugees here and abroad”. 

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​Thank you to Players of People’s Postcode Lottery who kindly support our work with refugees in Lebanon and Uganda.