BBC volunteers moved by stories of asylum seekers

'Volunteering enriches our understanding of other people’s lives' - Kathryn Blennerhassett

BBC Bitesize Researcher Kathryn Blennerhassett, built on her radio skills to create podcasts of two women’s personal stories of asylum seeking in the UK.

Volunteering with the North West Regional Activism Project appealed to me as I had previously worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Geneva and Laos.

I had worked in radio production and felt my radio skills were becoming a bit rusty so this project would give me the opportunity to work on my radio skills and on some podcasts.

Together with another BBC volunteer, we recorded the stories of women seeking asylum in the UK. Using the model of Radio 4’s The Listening Project, we recorded each woman talking to a person who had helped them since their arrival in Manchester.

Our first interview was with a woman from Zimbabwe who had illegally worked for a Zimbabwean family who mistreated her and she effectively became a domestic slave. They held her passport, she had no friends or money, she lost contact with her four children, and was trapped until she found the courage to leave. Her story was very sobering and illustrated how easily people can find themselves in desperate situations.

Our second interviewee spent her adolescence travelling between Somalia and refugee camps in Kenya, where she was at risk of physical and sexual abuse. As an unmarried Muslim woman with children she was shunned by her community and ended up in the UK without money or friends.

Both these women were negotiating the British asylum process and fearing deportation.

The project gave me more experience of recording on location, using clip mics and thinking about a charity’s concerns. Reassuringly the radio skills editing came back to me quite easily!

In the news, we are inundated with stories of people trying to make their way to Europe from areas of conflict around the world. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that each one is a thinking and feeling human being with their own story, and did not leave home on a whim to get on a leaky boat or live in a refugee camp.

These women’s stories really brought that home to me. I’ve told the charity I’d be happy to help again in the future.

When I volunteered to take part in BBC Outreach's Refugee project I didn’t realise what a wonderful journey it would take me on.

'I still think about both women' - Ena Miller

Ena Miller, Broadcast Journalist Southampton, pitched stories to Woman's Hour and BBC Radio Manchester and they aired.

I signed up to volunteer as I was craving to get involved with something I’d never done before and really wanted to meet people who I’d normally never meet. I wanted a project that would push me and force me out of my comfort zone and brush up on my radio skills. I wanted to add this type of work to my CV and remind myself that I was more than capable to nurture and steer a project.

I got all of the above and more and the project co-coordinator’s passion, enthusiasm and complete support kept us all going.

I have such fond memories - I met a judge who fled to the UK after the Taliban tried to kill her, and a young Iranian woman whose parents cut her off when they found out she was gay. Across four weeks I was plunged into this world and felt honoured the women told me their stories and introduced me to people who helped them carry their burden.

I have so many highlights – one was spending time with a LGBT church congregation and I was truly humbled to be part of the project and to hear stories that would have made me cry if I hadn’t my professional hat on.

I pitched the story to Woman’s Hour and both my packages were aired during Refugee week and the shorter ones were broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester.

This process was a great example of how the amount of work I put in was rewarded both professionally and personally. I still think about both women and am so pleased to have met such brave women.

BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility brings the BBC closer to its audiences - particularly those audiences we have identified as harder to reach - with face-to-face activity, community support and staff volunteering.