Helen Ellis founded Migrant Help in 1963 under its original name, the Kent Committee for the Welfare of Migrants. Her daughter, Margaret Hurst, talks about Helen’s life and memories of the charity’s earliest years. Read more
In our work, we meet many incredible individuals. People who have endured war, violence, abuse and poverty. They are determined to build better lives for themselves and their families and we are proud to be supporting them on their journey. Here you can read some of their stories.
My hope is that at a minimum people can live without fear and survive. Not having to look over their shoulder because somebody’s after them. Having a place to sleep, food and clothing. Read more
I really didn’t want to leave Sudan, but my auntie told me that it wasn’t safe for me to stay any more. She said: They killed your friend, and now they are going to kill you as well. Read more
Eskander, an Ethiopian refugee overcame years of adversity to become an elite runner representing Northern Ireland. Read more
The Eritrean government forces thousands of young people - both male and female - to join the national military service. Many women opt to marry and have children early in order to be exempt from joining. I was safe, but my husband was forced to join up. Read more
I was sexually abused by the man who loaned my dad money to fund his gambling habit. When I told my father about it, he told me I needed to deal with it by myself and that I owe him. Read more
I am a woman of steel who lived without the strength of a man in my life. When I fell, I would stand up again. Read more
Despite being the 4th generation and my family living in Kuwait, I am what’s known as a bedouin, which means stateless. I had no rights to health care or further education, and no prospects of getting a decent job. Read more
One day in 2016, Ahmed and his family were warned that they would be losing their IDs unless they could find a home country. His bank accounts were shut down, he was stopped from driving, his Saudi travel documents were removed and he was forced to pay taxes with no rights or pensions earned. Read more
I am originally from Iran. However, being a Christian, I had to leave in 2015; the Iran government is Islamic and do not accept different religions. By being Christian I risked being killed. Read more
When they arrived in Milan, they went straight to his apartment and settled in before Altin left to get some food. He returned a while later, drunk and with other two boys. They started joking about her, before starting to push her around. That evening Eva was raped by all three of them. Read more
Grace was ordered to clean the house, cook meals and look after the children. She was only allowed to eat any leftovers, had to sleep on the floor in the kitchen and was not allowed to leave the house except to go to church, at which point she would be under the strict supervision of members of the family. She was not allowed to talk to anyone. Read more