New 'study buddy' scheme launched to help refugees in NI
Last updated 17th Dec 2018
A new initiative has been established between north Belfast schools and a community group, in a bid to help refugees integrate here.
Conway Education centre in west Belfast which runs a homework club for migrant children, has teamed up with nearby schools including Belfast Royal Academy and Dominican College Fortwilliam.
The scheme sees pupils from the different colleges help Syrian and Somalian school children who have settled here.
Pauline Kersten is the centre manager and told Downtown Cool FM, the scheme is already having a positive impact:
"We have roughly about 60 children and young people registered for the homework club every afternoon.
"The new homework co-coordinator has introduced a 'study buddy' scheme, whereby sixth formers from different schools are involved in providing homework and study support.
"You can't overstate the value of it.
"It's integration in real life, not only do the refugee families get help with homework but also the local people that get involved, get to know about how difficult it is to integrate in a totally different culture with a totally different language and education system."
There are currently over 1000 refugees in Northern Ireland, sent from war-torn countries as part of the government scheme to relocate them to safety.
Mohamad Hajkadour was among the first phase that arrived from Syria in 2015.
He has been visiting the homework club to get help with his preparation for the transfer test.
The 10-year-old said he has been in Northern Ireland for three years and feels very welcome:
"I love Belfast, the people and the place and everything but there's one thing...the rain.
"It's not warm, at all, ever, in the summer it looks like it's about to snow."
Mohamad and his family fled from their war-torn native Syria in search of a better life elsewhere.
Mohamad told us his memories of his home:
"I remember one day we were at home and there was people on the corners with RPGs and snipers.
"Then someone threw a bomb and they started sniping and the bomb exploded."