Family from Syria back together with help from Glasgow charities
A Syrian family who feared they would never see each other again after being split in the country’s civil war have been reunited in Glasgow.
Mona Hussain's, her husband and four children had their lives were upturned by the conflict which has been raging since 2011.
Mona, 34, fled the country and arrived in Glasgow nine months ago and was granted leave to remain by the Home Office - but her husband Mahmoud Alhamdu became trapped in Greece with their children because they had no passports.
They were left with no home, no jobs and without any belongings due to the fighting in their hometown near the war ravished Syrian city of Aleppo.
But after being helped by the Red Cross, the Uniting Nations in Scotland (UNIS) and the Scottish Refugee Council, they have all now been reunited.
Mona said: "The country here helped me so much. The system has helped me to bring my family here.
"I'm so very happy. Now my children can go to school again. They were unsafe and in danger but here we feel safe. We're happy here."
Mona's children Mutamid Billah, 13, and Baraa Alhamdu, 14, are at school, while Mohammed Amin, 16, and Elias, 17, are at college learning English.
She said: "I used to just cry every day. Now, my sons and daughters they can do things here, they can enter into the social life here, they can build their lives here.
"It was so bad in Greece for them.
"There was no work, no jobs, no life, no water and no housing. There is no one to care for refugees there."
Joe Brady, head of refugee integration services at the Scottish Refugee Council, said: "Families often become separated when fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries, or during the perilous journey many have to undertake to reach a place of safety.
"This separation can compound what is already a stressful and unsure situation and it can often take time for families to be reunited in one country.
"When that happens, families often need support to rebuild their lives together and to integrate into their host country.
"The Third Country National service, run in partnership by Scottish Refugee Council, British Red Cross and Workers' Educational Association Scotland, is a holistic service that helps families to figure out where they will live, how they can support themselves and how they can engage in education and with local communities.
"With our support, families like Mona's, who have been through a huge amount of difficulty, have the chance to build a positive future here in Scotland together."
