In Conversation: How We Can Better Support Refugees
- Christabelle Quaynor
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
By Christabelle Quaynor
The only difference between non refugees and refugees is luck.
At the end of 2021 around 89.3 million people were forcibly displaced across the world. Of these, 27.1 million were refugees. With rising humanitarian crises – such as the war in Sudan –and climate change disproportionately affecting countries like Afghanistan, Vietnam and Chad, the number of people forced to leave their homes and memories behind continues to grow.
Despite the 1951 Refugee Convention’s commitment to protecting those seeking safety, refugees remain deeply vulnerable. Many face discrimination, barriers to food and water, threats to their safety, language challenges, loneliness and isolation, harsh living conditions, and limited access to employment.
These challenges are being intensified by increasingly restrictive policies, including the UK Home Secretary’s recent proposal that people will only become eligible for benefits and social housing only once they gain British citizenship, a move that has raised concerns from the Refugee Council, as many will be left in prolonged limbo.
Yet the resilience and bravery of refugees remain inspiring.
Refugees remind us how powerfully our environments shape our lives, and how far kindness, dignity and solidarity can reach.
Shuqi Zhou, a fellow team member at Voice4Change England, organised our Refugee Week celebration, highlighting the UK’s history of welcoming people seeking sanctuary and promoting access to higher education, and showcasing the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit of refugee communities. She moved from Shanghai to London five years ago to study Digital Asset and Media Management at King’s College London. After graduating during lockdown, she began volunteering for a local cancer charity, which led to a communications internship at Voice4Change England. She has now worked full-time in the social impact sector for almost five years and is passionate about contributing to meaningful causes.
Jenna Ellis, a former student of Voice4Change England trustee Dr Neena Samota, is originally from California and later studied languages in Seattle, becoming fluent in English, Spanish, French and conversational Arabic. While teaching in Madrid during the start of the war in Ukraine, she became involved in refugee resettlement, which led to roles with the International Rescue Committee supporting young people and survivors of trafficking and violence. Wanting to deepen her expertise, she moved to the UK to study a master’s at St Mary’s University on a scholarship and worked with the Bakhita Centre on reintegration programmes for survivors.
In this conversation, we explore what effective support for refugees looks like, how their challenges intersect with broader social issues, and how the public can show genuine solidarity.
1. If you had the opportunity to advise a government official on how to best listen to and work with refugees, what is the first thing you would tell them?
Shuqi: I would tell them to start with genuine listening. Too often, decisions about refugee policy are made without centring the lived experiences of refugees themselves. Creating safe spaces for refugees to speak directly, ensuring language support, and involving them in policy design are critical. Refugees are not just service users. They are experts in their own lives and deserve to shape the systems that affect them.
Jenna: I would tell them to prioritise including people with lived experience at all levels, not just in frontline roles. As positions become more senior, the number of people with refugee backgrounds drops sharply, and that disconnect harms decision-making and contributes to burnout in the sector. There are organisations that already model this well, like the Afghan and Central Asian Association, whose leadership team is made up entirely of Afghan refugees. The government should learn from and fund these grassroots groups, instead of defaulting to the largest charities, and create clear leadership pathways that value lived experience.
2. How do you see issues such as housing, environment, mental health, or employment intersecting with refugee rights?
Shuqi: All of these issues are deeply interconnected with refugee rights. Without secure housing, mental health deteriorates. Without access to employment, integration and independence become nearly impossible. Environmental challenges often force displacement in the first place, and they also shape the conditions refugees live in once they arrive. Refugee rights cannot be separated from these broader social justice issues. They must be addressed holistically.
Jenna: I completely agree with what Shuqi said. These challenges are rooted in a long legacy of imperialism and colonialism, and we’re still seeing the effects today. So many of the systems refugees must navigate are underfunded, overstretched, and not designed to meet people’s real needs. Instead of real solutions, we’re often just putting a temporary fix on a much bigger problem. And when systems keep failing, it creates a cycle where refugees are pushed further to the margins.
3. Working on refugee rights and advocacy can be emotionally heavy. How do you care for your own wellbeing in this space?
Shuqi: I try to practice community care as much as self-care. Staying connected with colleagues helps me process the emotional weight, while small grounding activities, like walking in nature, journaling, or spending time with loved ones, remind me of balance. It’s also important to celebrate wins, however small, as a way to sustain hope and motivation.
Jenna: If I’m honest, navigating care in this work is something I’m still figuring out, just like most people in the sector. What helps me is trying not to centre myself emotionally but instead seeing myself as a kind of vessel for the mission. I show up because the work matters and because I believe we all have a responsibility to support one another, especially in times like these. Leading with that purpose keeps me grounded in positivity and gratitude, rather than being overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges. At the end of the day, you have to be able to say, “I did what I could today. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
4. If you could see one major change in the next five years to improve the lives of refugees, what would it be?
Shuqi: It would be the creation of a fair, humane, and efficient asylum system - one that prioritises dignity and safety over bureaucracy and deterrence. A system where people are not left in limbo for years, but are given swift decisions, secure housing, the right to work, and the chance to rebuild their lives with stability.
Jenna: Honestly, I agree with Shuqi about the need for faster, clearer decisions. The long periods of uncertainty refugees face are incredibly harmful and leave people vulnerable to exploitation. Another major change I’d like to see is a better system for recognising and transferring educational qualifications. Many refugees arrive with strong professional backgrounds such as doctors, lawyers, teachers but their diplomas often carry little weight in the UK. That loss of recognition leads to a loss of dignity, wasted skills, and lower-paid work that pushes families further into poverty. A fairer, more transparent process would make a huge difference.
5. How can the public best show solidarity with refugees beyond Refugee Week?
Shuqi: Solidarity means ongoing action, not just symbolic gestures. This could mean volunteering with local organisations, amplifying refugee voices on social media, donating time or resources, challenging harmful narratives, and advocating for policy change year-round. Everyday solidarity also looks like kindness: welcoming neighbours, offering friendship, and recognising refugees as part of the community.
Jenna: I think the most important thing is to stay engaged, especially now, when xenophobic demonstrations and anti-immigrant policies seem to appear every week. It can feel overwhelming, but solidarity means not looking away. Keep speaking with your local representatives, MPs, or community leaders who can influence change, and keep pushing even when progress feels slow. I remind myself of an Angela Davis quote: “You have to believe that radical change is possible, and you have to do it all the time.” That mindset helps me stay hopeful and not give up.
Refugee organisations to support: