Celebrating International Migrants Day | Debesay's Story
Since 2000, people in the UK and around the world have marked International Migrants Day on 18 December. This week, we want to support the breaking of the pre-judgments. Today, we share the story of Debesay who came from Eritrea and worked hard to achieve his goals.
Keep reading for some highlights from his new life journey in the UK...
Debesay is from Eritrea and came to the UK in 2020. His first language is Tigrinya, and he didn’t know English well. Debesay first approached ACH looking for English lessons to improve his language skills. He had previously struggled to obtain access to a carpentry course, but he was declined due to a lack of English language.
Our support team enrolled Debesay in our courses however initially provided a 10-hour course to help develop his English skills and at the same time, improve his confidence and well-being. We offered Debesay accommodation and employability support alongside our language support courses. This was followed by a personalized mentoring support service which created a progression plan. Through this, Debesay valued the importance of his carpentry qualifications from his country of origin and requested credentials to be emailed from Eritrea. Debesay has mentioned that website creation and digital sessions have boosted his confidence in reaching out to employers.
Besides his carpentry talent, he has been ambitious in assisting his community in leadership and empowerment. He showcases this via his TikTok with an engagement of 9000 followers. Our team noticed he is a natural leader digitally and in person but will also flourish via personal aspirations. For example, being accepted onto a carpentry course in college.
‘Really ACH has been helpful and they give me confidence again, it is like somebody is giving you a hug and they make me feel part of a big mission.’
Upon retrieval of his qualifications, Debesay is now an equipped community leader showcasing an improved level of English and is enrolled on a Level Carpentry course at South Birmingham College.
Through the RTOF project, he is also a volunteer with our project staff for the interpretation and translation of material that is used to reach a wider Eritrean client group. Our team endeavors to support Debesay’s information-sharing campaign on TikTok by providing further development tools. We are with him on his journey and we will continue to support him until he achieves his goals!
