A few days before the world marked Refugee Week (17 – 23 June), I was at the Good Food Show in Birmingham with a gal pal.
Tasting samples and browsing a range of home-made products, I saw out of the corner of my eye a woman in a headscarf at a cheese stand. And then it clicked…
The Syrian couple in Yorkshire!
Yep, I’d heard about a Syrian couple who’d sought refuge in the UK and set up a cheese business in the UK but not learnt much about it.
And here they were!
Dama Cheese – founded by Razan Alsous and Raghid Sandouk – is not just a cheese business. It’s an award winning one – with a very inspirational story behind it. A story like many others.
Last week was Refugee Week – a time when the world celebrated the achievements of refugees worldwide, and strived to raise critical awareness of the struggles they face – against the wave of misinformation used to demonise refugees (more information at the end of this blog).
So, with that in mind, here are six inspiring stories of six families/people who made the UK their home – making a big mark for the better.
Take a look!
1. Imad Alarnab: Founder of Imad’s Kitchen
Back when I was living in London, I visited Imad’s Kitchen with a good friend of mine. And it didn’t disappoint!
Delicious food and a delightful welcome, I knew the story behind the restaurant before we booked and so, I of course wanted to make sure I made it to this fresh new foodspot in the city.
Founder of Imad’s Kitchen, Imad Alarnab has an inspirational backstory.
Back in Syria, Imad ran three successful restaurants and several juice bars and cafés in Damascus.
However, during the war, he lost his businesses after they were destroyed in the bombings, leaving Imad with no choice but to flee in search of safety.
Leaving Syria, moving from Lebanon to Europe, Imad would share his skills and passion for food, cooking for up to 400 refugees at a time.
Arriving in the UK in 2015, he’d spent three months smuggled in lorries across Europe (via Lebanon, Macedonia and Turkey), with just £12 in his pocket – “just enough for the bus fare in Doncaster” where his sister lived.
Imad put his passion for food aside as he starting working as a car washer and car salesman. But… this was all about to change…
With the support of his friends, he began to make his mark on the London food scene, running a series of charity events. His supper clubs were incredibly popular, selling out within hours.
Then, in 2020, “Imad’s Kitchen” was born – opening in Kingly Court, Soho. Still going strong, you can now even purchase his recipe book.
What’s more, with his success, Imad hasn’t forgotten his own journey.
Raising over £200,000 for the refugee organisation Choose Love, he’s pledged to donate a pound from every bill at his restaurant to the organisation, which supports refugees and displaced people across Europe.
So, if you’re in the area, why not book a table? You won’t be disappointed!
2. Waheed Arian: Doctor and Founder of Arian Teleheal
I first came across Dr Waheed Arian on Twitter (now known as X) and was incredibly inspired by his work and story.
A former child refugee from Afghanistan, Waheed has made amazing contributions to medical and humanitarian causes.
A British doctor and radiologist working for the NHS and World Health Organisation (WHO), Arian arrived in the UK – alone – at the age of 15 from Afghanistan. His parents were eager for him to pursue an education.
Speaking little English, Dr Arian worked at shops and universities whilst supporting his family and studying at several colleges in the evening.
Gaining the grades in his A levels to study medicine at Cambridge University, he was to overcome social isolation at one of the world’s most renowned universities.
Gaining qualifications from Cambridge, Harvard and Imperial, he started practising in hospitals in London, before moving to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool. At the same time, Dr Adrian returned to Afghanistan to support medics caring for patients injured during the ongoing conflict.
Realising that many UK-based medics also wanted to help, but could not travel safely to the area, Dr Waheed then set up Arian Teleheal – a UK-based charity which enables local doctors in warzones and low resource countries to consult with expert clinicians worldwide, using everyday technology (such as smartphones, instant messaging and video chat).
Thanks to Dr Arian, volunteer doctors have saved the lives of men, women and children in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Uganda, South Africa and India.
Having won a host of awards and recognitions (too many to mention here!), Dr Adrian is also a published author. His autobiography “In the Wars: An uplifting, life-enhancing autobiography, a poignant story of the power of resilience” was published in 2021.
Seeing the effects of Covid-19 on people’s mental health, Dr Arian most recently setup up “Arian Wellbeing”, bringing together psychologists, licensed therapists, personal trainers and nutritionists to offer holistic care – inspired by his own journey of overcoming PTSD.
His motto remains: “Inspire, and we can help millions“. Well, you certainly do inspire Dr Arian!
If you’d like to support the work of Dr Arian, there are plenty of ways to help!
If you’re a medic, you could volunteer your services. If not, why not sponsor an event or donate towards the charity?
Find out more here.
3. Abdul Shiil: Social entrepreneur
I have to admit, I’d not come across the name Abdul Shiil – despite living in London for over six years. But, what a fantastic guy!
Abdul first arrived in the UK in 2001 with his family seeking asylum, settling in West London.
Abdul’s mother Anab started university and later set up a charity to support other Somalian women, but the family spotted a gap:
“The charity ran workshops that helped refugee women integrate into UK society. But there was a problem.
“Once they finished the workshops they would go back home and back onto welfare.”
In 2012, Anab, Abdul and his brother Zaki founded Sahan Cares, enabling them “to train these highly capable women in social care and provide them with work opportunities.”
Abdul then joined the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme Scale Up in October 2018 and has since grown the business to go on to great success.
With an annual revenue of £1.8 million, the organisation works across three London boroughs, with every employee a former refugee.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Abdul for his efforts in driving up vaccine uptake in the BAME community – reaching a 100% vaccination rate within his organisation.
In 2022, Abdul later won the UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in Glasgow, declaring:
“Having gone through my very own experience as a member of a disadvantaged group, I’m committed to empowering people with similar background and providing support to those in need.
“This award is a morale booster for our plans to extend services to people in need of mental health support.”
With the organisation going strong, Abdul is a frequent speaker, current postdoc student and trustee of UK-based NGO Action Aid.
Great stuff!
4. Gulwali Passarlay: Author and Campaigner
Discovering the story of Gulwali has been a complete joy!
Author and refugee rights campaigner, Gulwali is one powerful voice!
Arriving in the UK aged just 12 from Afghanistan, Gulwali has become a best-selling author, award-winning activist and campaigner, co-founder of My Brite Kite and member of Speakers Collective.
Graduating with a degree in Politics from the University of Manchester and most recently his MPA from Coventry University, Gulwali has used his voice and experiences to advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
Gulwali’s best-selling autobiography, “The Lightless Sky: A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee’s Harrowing Escape from Afghanistan and His Extraordinary Journey Across Half The World”, also known as “My Journey to Safety as Child Refugee”, was published in 2015.
It sheds light on the journey he took as child and his experiences as a child refuge. It has featured on various outlets, including BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, ITV, The Guardian, Time Magazine and The Independent.
A longstanding activist, Gulwali’s roles include Global Youth Ambassador for global children’s charity Theirworld, Olympics Torch-bearer, and within the NHS Youth Forum.
Winning the Manchester Leadership Gold Award, in 2016, Gulwali was later nominated for the 2016 Nansen Refugee Award by the UNHCR.
Find out more about Gulwali via his blog.
5. Razan Alsous and Raghid Sandouk: Founders of Dama Cheese
As mentioned, a few weeks ago, I visited the Good Food Show in Birmingham with a friend. And I was delighted to see Dama Cheese!
I’d heard about the couple behind the company but didn’t know much about their story. And so I did some research…
Married coup;e Razan Alsous and Raghid Sandouk arrived in the UK from Syria in 2012 with their three children.
Razan’s background is in microbiology, having graduated from the Medical Institute in Syria. Her husband Raghid is an electronic engineer who ran his own business supplying the pharmaceutical and food industries in Syria with Quality Control labs.
Then war broke out… The family of five later arrived in the UK and faced the challenges of settling into a new life in Yorkshire, including looking for work:
“…despite having a pharmacy degree and a scientific background my lack of references and work history in the UK made it extremely difficult.
“… I have three children and wanted so badly to build a bright future for them. So, I started to think what was around me – the expertise I could tap into, the sources of support and other opportunities available to me.”
Razan Alsous
Given the family’s scientific background, and that their new home of Yorkshire was plentiful with local high-quality milk, an idea came to mind:
“… Syrian cheese (a squeaky semi-hard cheese) that I know and ate every day for breakfast in Syria is very trendy in the UK and British people love eating it!
“As I couldn’t find a great tasting quality squeaky cheese anywhere in the supermarkets or local independent farm shops, I then had a brainwave: why not create a business and make myself Syrian cheese from fresh high-quality British milk!
“And so started our journey – with an idea and a start-up loan of just £2,500 from the Local Enterprise Agency. We had to adapt the equipment we bought and then finally got the approval to start manufacturing cheese in June 2014.”
Just four months after production started, Dama Cheese won the World Cheese Award Bronze prize (2014/15). And, the business has gone from strength to strength!
The couple have since won the World Cheese Award – Gold, along with a host of awards, nominations and taking part in various TV appearances. They’re even stocked in Aldi!
Congratulations guys!
Find out more about Dama Cheese – check out their shop and recipes on their website.
6. Malala Yousafzai: Activist and Campaigner
I’m sure we’ve all heard of Malala. But… did you know she settled in Birmingham (central England) – an hour from my family home?
The youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (aged 17 at the time!), Malala Yousafzai is a world-famous activist and campaigner for the rights of women and girls – in particular the right to education.
Born in Pakistan, she spoke out publicly about the right for girls to learn, to go to school and to get an education.
She began blogging for the BBC on the issue and Malala won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize in 2011. She was then nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize.
Malala sadly became a target for the Taliban and on October 9 2023, was shot on the left side of her head.
She woke up in a hospital in Birmingham (UK) ten days later, where she later underwent surgery and was discharged in January 2013.
Settling in Birmingham, Malala began attending school once again and carry on with her life in safety.
In 2013, she co-founded Malala Fund, which funds and advocates for girls’ education globally.
Her memoir “I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban”, co-written with British journalist Christina Lamb, was also published in the same year.
Later graduating from the University of Oxford, she became the youngest ever Honorary Fellow at Lincare College, Oxford in 2023. To date, she is the second Pakistani and only Pashtun to receive a noble prize.
Inspiring change across the globe, she continues to fight for the rights of girls worldwide to a pursue an education and independent future: “I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls”.
Thank you Malala for all your incredible work!
Take action:
If you’ve been inspired by the stories of resilience, commitment and success in this blog, then please do take action as we move past the hub and buzz of Refugee Week.
Here’s how you can help build change.
1.Support employment opportunities and social entrepreneurship for refugees
Offer CV workshops, volunteering opportunities and training opportunities in your community and/or workplace to refugees in your local area.
If you run your own business, check out this blog sharing six ways social entrepreneurs can help refugees.
Don’t forget to discover and share these additional success stories of more inspiring refugee social entrepreneurs here in a Refugee Day 2024 photograph exhibition celebrating London-based (former) refugees
2. Challenge the narrative
Inform yourself and others about the reality – not the anti-refugee narrative in the media which puts statistics completely out of context.
Take a look here:
- Refugee statistics globally and global trends
- The real picture of asylum seekers in the UK and key statistics
- Find out about the reality – including barriers to employment – for refugees in the UK
Read about the ration cuts faced by refugees worldwide – highlighted in a new report by World Vision: “Ration Cuts: Taking from the Hungry to Feed the Starving”.
And don’t forget: check out our previous blogs on refugees and asylum seekers here
3. Support refugee support services in your area
Discover refugee support organisations based in the UK and share with anyone who could benefit.
There are a range of organisations, including:
- The Refugee Council – in particular their: STEP (Specialised Training and Emplyoment Programme) run by the Refugee Council in South Yorkshire, Leeds and York
- Refugee Action (who actively look to employ people with lived experience of displacement)
Don’t forget to also look into local support organisations and community centres offering 1-2-1 casework support for refugees and asylum seekers in your area.
You can help by donating towards their work, promoting them within your networks, volunteering you time and skills and/or sponsoring their work.
It’s also worth taking a look at organisations supporting refugees and displaced people internationally.
Check out organisations such as Choose Love and World Jewish Relief – amongst a host of others
4. Campaign for change
Safe Passage have long been campaigning to reunite child refugees with their families – including here in the UK. To date, they’ve helped over 2,500 child refugees reach safety.
Find out more about their work and how you can help here
5. Share this blog!
Spread the word: refugees are welcome here!
Don’t forget, there’s a person behind each statistic – and a context!
Don’t let the media fool you and others. Push against the xenophobic and anti-refugee rhetoric – with facts, real lived experiences and positivity!
And lastly: a massive thank you to all of the featured individuals in this blog for your resilience, commitment and positivity.
You are a true inspiration! Belated Refugee Week!
Voice of Salam 