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A trainee cooking a meal in the Handcrafted kitchen
Abdul’s Story

Engaging young asylum-seekers

Abdul fled on a 5,000-mile journey, fighting to survive for 18 months at the age of just 14.  Abdul’s father had served in the Afghan military and lost his life to Taliban reprisals after the US withdrawal.

When he was then placed with us in County Durham, Abdul struggled to adapt - he isolated himself and fell out with his housemates. Conflict resulted in police call outs, damaged property and Abdul wanted to move into a flat with another housing provider, but by the next Monday he was evicted from there for causing substantial damage.

Abdul faced homelessness but Handcrafted believes that everyone deserves another chance, even if it costs us. So, we settled him into another Handcrafted house.

When his first new housemate was due to arrive, Abdul was anxious. He decided to make them feel welcome by preparing a meal, but we had to teach him to cook first!

We have kept up the cooking lessons. He can now cook a range of meals independently including an Afghan national dish. This led to growth in confidence and healthy coping mechanisms. It gave him space to open up about his struggles and he is now accessing counselling.

Image depicting someone helping another person up a mountain

Testimonials

I have referred a number of offenders to Handcrafted.  The offenders can attend the project several times per week if they wish to, if not daily. This means that they have some where to go and something constructive to do with their time. They can learn new skills or continue to develop skills they already have. They are given the opportunity to try projects they would probably never have considered themselves able to do.

They all take great pride in the items they produce and some have expressed interest in forming their own small businesses on the back of the skills they have learned.

Most of my offenders have then begun to work on their own projects outside of Handcrafted, for example, one produced a bench for a new nature reserve. The offender stated that he feels he has left a legacy for other people to benefit from. Again, this gives them something constructive to do with their time, gives them a sense of pride and self worth. All of this is extremely positive for the offender and helps to deter from further offending.

Lesley G, Durham Constabulary