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How newcomers help each other 'do what seems impossible'

BBC Sabah, she is wearing a grey headscarf and a black and grey coat and is sitting in a room with white walls. Behind her a white table and blue chair can be seen.BBC
Sabah left Syria with her family in 2015

In 2015 Sabah's life changed forever.

Civil war had been raging in Syria for four years and she and her family were forced to flee.

After initially travelling to Turkey, a new chapter began in 2019 when her family arrived in Northern Ireland.

She had to leave behind loved ones, cherished memories, and a life she once knew.

"Meeting other women from across the world helped me to understand that my country wasn't the only one having problems and I could see other ladies trying their best to make a good life, just like me," she said.

"Starting life in a new country was overwhelming, I couldn't speak a lot of English, and everything felt unfamiliar."

A wide shot of a large crowd of people gathered outside the BBC in Belfast celebrating the fall of the Assad regime. There are about seven flags of the new Syrian regime visible - green, white and black horizontal stripes with three red stars in the middle of the white stripe.
A large crowd recently gathered outside the BBC in Belfast to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria

Sabah, her husband and her three children would eventually settle in Dungannon in County Tyrone, where she became a member of the town's First Steps Women's Centre.

"From the moment I walked through the doors, I found something I had never experienced before—a place where women were supported, encouraged, and empowered," she said.

"I was given English lessons and, five years on, I was able to get a full-time job as an interpreter, I never thought this would be possible."

In recent weeks Sabah watched on from Northern Ireland as rebels launched a major offensive against the government in Syria, seizing cities and toppling the Assad dictatorship..

"In some ways it has been a strange time to be away from home with all the change that is happening," she said.

"But being part of First Steps, has helped me build up a good community here with so many ladies from different countries, so now I have lots of friends, so after five years I can say we love the area."

Two women - one is wearing a red blouse and is playing an acoustic guitar. The other is wearing a white woolly hat and a blue jumper with a cartoon penguin on it. She is singing into a microphone which she holds in her right hand while in her left hand she holds an iPhone. Both women have brown hair.
The First Steps Women Centre has a diverse membership and they recently held a Christmas party

Dungannon is one of Northern Ireland's most diverse towns, with more than 3,500 people living in the area who who were born outside of the UK or Ireland

First Steps Women Centre works with women from more than 20 nationalities on everything from language classes to employment help and childcare.

It runs a number of workshops that include a mix of women who are refugees and have only been in Northern Ireland for a relatively short time, as well those who have lived here for years.

Alesea, who is originally from Moldova, has lived in Dungannon for seven years.

"I came for work and when I first arrived my English was not that great, But First Steps helped change all that," she said.

"It's a lovely place to be, I started meeting a lot of people from different countries, from different communities, I feel a happiness when I'm here, it feels like a family.

"Because I've been here a while now, I recently helped do some translation for a lady who joined the group from Romania, I know what it's like to be in a new place, so we all look after each other."

Alesea has brown hair pulled back, she is earing a white T-shirt and on it is an artwork of a ski slope with red cable cars making their way upwards.
Alesea moved from Moldova to Dungannon several years ago

In recent years the group has also included several women who fled Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia.

Svitlana arrived with her children from Ukraine in May 2022.

"It was a very scary time when we had to leave everything behind and to be honest at first I found it hard to accept this new life," she said.

"I had no friends, I didn't know anybody and I initially didn't realise Dungannon was such a multinational town."

Svitlana, far left, is wearing a leopard-print jacket and singing into a microphone. She has dark hair in a pony tail. Her friends are beside her - one is a woman with long light-brown hair singing into a microphone and wearing a black jacket and black top. The other closest to the camera has dark brown hair and round glasses. She is wearing pink lipstick and has a white blouse on, over which is a black tank top.
Svitlana, far left, with her friends during a Christmas party at the First Steps Women Centre

"But being part of the First Steps groups has been a light in the dark," she said.

"I've met women from so many places, we exchange stories and traditions, and I know now I just have to live my life."

BBC News NI previously reported that the number of reported race hate crimes across Northern Ireland rose by a third when compared to the previous 12 months.

During the summer a number of business and homes in Belfast were damaged following anti-immigration protest in the city centre.

Police have also investigated a number of racially-motivated hate crimes and incidents in County Tyrone in recent months.

Michael McGoldrick has short grey hair and a short grey beard. He is wearing glasses, a blue shirt and a light grey jumper.
Michael McGoldrick says the centre is a safe space for everyone

CEO of the First Steps centre in Dungannon, Michael McGoldrick, said the organisation was a safe space for everyone regardless of where they came from or their background.

"I think in life we all have struggles and it's wonderful to see so many women with different nationalities coming here with their own ideas of how to improve their lives," he said.

"I'm sure their hearts are aching at this time of year thinking about their countries, but we want them to make peace here, it might not be where they're from but it's their home now."