Refugee Voices - Layla

Layla arrived in the UK in February of 2025 after her life in Saudi Arabia was unexpectedly uprooted. After her father (originally from Sudan) was made redundant from his job following 25 years in Saudi Arabia, Layla’s entire family had their visas cancelled. Layla, who was in the UK at the time (on a holiday trip to celebrate her achieving her master’s degree in bioengineering), was stranded and, faced with having to return to war-torn Sudan, had no choice but to claim asylum.
 
Her primary concern upon claiming asylum was how she would be received; worrying about being not welcomed because of what she heard on the news about asylum seekers, she expected an estrangement in the UK. However, she was surprised to see that everyone welcomed her warmly; she was not made to feel like a stranger and began immediately to feel a sense of belonging in her community. The UK also had a greater sense of cultural openness, and this helped her to settle in.
 
Layla was connected with HWR through acquaintances in her refugee hotel. HWR not only gave her helpful advice regarding her legal and living situation, but she also began to volunteer for the charity. She works as an interpreter in two languages and in an advisory group where she helps to refine the way in which the charity communicates with refugees. She is also passionate about helping refugees’ voices be heard, and recently, in line with this passion, she gave a radio interview to share her story.
 
Layla is currently looking for a full-time job and wishes to enter the NHS’s ‘Scientist Training Programme’ to begin to work in her speciality in the UK. She wants to continue volunteering even after finding a full-time job in order to help and serve as an example to other refugees to show them that having to seek asylum shouldn’t be the end of their lives and it is not their story. 
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