Student Stories - Ishaan from Sri Lanka

We are starting to document some of our student’s stories. This helps all of us have a greater understanding of the experience of our VES students, and how we can serve them well.

This week we heard Ishaan’s* story, who we met at our classes in the Queen’s hotel Crystal Palace.

Ishaan is in his early 40s and is married with three children under 20. The family are currently staying in two rooms in the accommodation provided at Queen’s, with the children at local colleges and schools.

Ishaan was born and raised in Sri Lanka and had worked in logistics all his adult life, first for a big international company, and later for his own business.

A few years ago Ishaan became active politically, and was involved in anti-government protests. With the political unrest in Sri-Lanka, Ishaan came to understand that his life was in danger due to the anti-government stand he had taken. He had seen friends and colleagues disappear or be imprisoned and he was fearful for his life, and the lives of his family.

Ishaan was able to flee the threat he faced Sri Lanka through using his life savings to purchase travel visas to the UK for himself and his immediate family. On landing in the UK they claimed asylum at the airport, and were placed into accommodation in Croydon. He chose to come to the UK because he was confident in the rule of law here, and the fact he was able to bring his whole family.

He said he now feels peace that the threat to his life is not imminent. However, the reality is that life here is hard. He’s exchanged a big family home that he had built, for two small hotel rooms with no outside space. He’s lost his network of family and friends, and has no relational network here. He now faces a wait of unknown duration (likely to be in excess of two years), during which he cannot work, and must live on a budget of £8 per week for all ‘extras’. In many ways his life is on pause, and when ‘play’ is pressed again, he will be starting from scratch in a land not his own.

Ishaan is a jovial guy, and his English has improved quite significantly even in just the 3 months I have known him. His wife though is struggling more, and is not leaving the hotel room on some days due to depression.

We seek to serve Ishaan through being a friendly point of connection, signposting him to other services that are available, giving him great English classes that will help his language acquisition, and by praying for him and his family. He’s one of the six hundred or so asylum seekers living in that hotel.

*Name altered.