New home for the Yemeni Refugee Centre

by Mark Lankshear

Yemeni Refugee Organisation, 17 Burngreave Road, S3 9DA. Tel: 0114 2759 123, Fax: 0114 2758 961 

Help with benefits, accommodation, welfare and legal advice. Education and training, social and recreational 
activities. Counselling. Yemeni Refugees Women’s Project, Al-nazah Al-Yemeni magazine

Mr Mohamed Al-Afif, Chairperson of the YRO offered me a warm welcome to their new premises at 17 Burngreave Road. The organisation started offering informal support in ’97 to a small number of refugees from a base in his house. Since then it has grown and now offers a range of support services to asylum seekers from the Yemen and other Arabic speaking nations.

Their new base is home to a busy morning drop-in advice session where they regularly see upwards of forty clients. He told the Messenger that asylum seekers face many difficulties, particularly now that the NASS dispersal scheme means that people are often placed away from any support, have difficulty with vouchers, accommodation, and accessing essential legal advice. They also support an independent Women’s Project and social and education support for families and over 200 under 18s, many of whom are unaccompanied.

Spreading the word
Abdulla Alshaibi, a journalist who writes for international Arabic newspapers like AlQuds Alarabia edits the YRO monthly magazine ‘Al-nazab Al-Yemeni’, produced entirely in-house. This impressive magazine is distributed throughout England and other countries with Yemeni refugees. It provides invaluable information and encourages talents and freedom of opinion.

Hope for the Irish Centre
Ali Hamood, the head of the interpretation services, told the Messenger that the YRO has recently bought the Irish Centre, 151 Brunswick Road. They are starting refurbishment soon and hope to bring new life to this important Burngreave institution. They hope that it will be re-opened to the whole community next year with facilities for social events, weddings, conferences, sports and training courses.

A significant Yemeni population was established in Sheffield and Burngreave in the ‘50s when men, later joined by their families, came to do hard, unpopular work in the east end steel industries and public services. Civil War in ’94 and the continuing political conflict in the Yemen has led to many people fleeing to different parts of the world and England. The YRO provides care and services and helps refugees integrate with the wider community, ‘we offer honesty and loyalty to refugees who continue to suffer’ said Mr Al-Afif.