Raz Akhtar, a 39-year-old nurse in Birmingham Children’s Hospital, has been foster-caring for four years, giving home to about ten children included young asylum seekers separated from their parents, as reported by BirminghamLive on Saturday.
In her nursing experience, Raz realised the challenges of caring for vulnerable kids early on. She believes that her role is to prepare these children to live an independent life as so many would not be reunited with their own families. These vulnerable children, having faced immense trauma in escaping war and persecution, are being helped in every possible way by Raz. Some of the children being fostered by Raz came from the Calais Jungle, the refugee camp that made headlines during the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis.
The Birmingham Children’s Trust’s statistics show that more than 250 unaccompanied asylum seeker children were in foster care in the city in the last three years, with 95 per cent aged between 11 and 18.
A mother of four herself, she seeks a quiet life outside work with her family. “These children come into your home and they have such a scared look on their face,” she told BirminghamLive. She added: “Asylum seeking children have been through a lot of trauma and the most I can do is prepare them for building a life and making a positive contribution to society. These children need love and safety, so if you have an empty room in your house and the time to give a child a nurturing and loving home, why not?”.
