Andy Drozdziak
A family in the North East of England is looking for Ukrainian families to help refugees settle in to the area and find companionship.
The family, from St Paul’s parish, Cramlington, recently welcomed a family of Ukrainian refugees-a mum, 2 daughters aged 16 and 6, and an 11-year-old son-but communication has been difficult.
Peter Killen from the parish explained the situation.
“They’ve been there just under a month,” he told the Universe.
“It took quite a while for them to get here-they applied in February or March. Their English language is limited. The major issue is the communication and lack of companionship.”
Mr Killen explained that communication with the Ukrainians has been challenging. They are currently making use of the Google translate facility on phones. The messages are then replayed to the Ukrainian family, but translations are not always accurate. He believes that contact with another Ukrainian family or individual would help.
In a recent plea for help, Mr Killen said:
“We are looking for any other Ukrainian family or host in the area who could join with ours to form companionship and to help them settle into their new environment.”
He has been in touch with the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle to ask for assistance, but has not heard anything as yet.
“I surmise that this will be a problem throughout the country wherever the refugees are. I don’t know if any coordination has been done in the north east of England at all,” he added.
“The host family are a lovely family, a man and a wife. The lady is involved with the local food bank in Cramlington and is committed to helping people in various situations. She is looking for companionship for the family.”
Anyone wishing to help should contact webmaster@stpauls-rc.co.uk
Flag image-PA Wire/PA Images Picture by: David Parry