Coffee with kids

A little bit about me and my asylum experience

My name is Mariam Tahir I am originally from Chad. I came to the UK in 2018 with my 2 children and pregnant with my third child. When I arrived I applied for asylum and I was kept in a hostel with my kids for 5 difficult months.

During my asylum process I went through two stages. At first we were in a hostel living in one bedroom with my kids. As an asylum seeker you are not allowed to work or have access to public funds and therefore you don’t have the money or the facilities to cook your own meals.

So whenever I wanted to go out to pick up our pre-prepared meals, I had to wait in a long queue pregnant and with my 2 little ones. 

It was very difficult for me to live in that situation where the kids are not allowed to leave the room and we are new in a country with a new language and new culture. Without facilities to help look after and care for children when in this position, it’s very difficult to progress in the language and customs of the new country and it’s easy to become isolated and dispirited. From my experience, these 5 months could have been much more productive and useful in preparing me for my new life in the UK once my refugee status was granted.

For me, the only way I was able to manage my mental health was to go out with my children and meet with charities to take advantage of some of the English classes they provided. During that stressful time I gave birth to my new child.

After these 5 months we then moved to shared accommodation in the second stage of the asylum process, again to stay in one bedroom with a shared kitchen and bathroom with 3 other families. At this time I tried to engage more with other charities to help me find somewhere to study, which led me to a mentoring programme which helped me apply to university and secure a scholarship to study my masters degree. This was the best thing that happened to me during this time but finding someone to look after my kids was the most difficult part.

I think it’s clear from my own experience of seeking asylum in the UK, shared by many others, that we can improve the chances of a family to integrate faster, if parents have real opportunities and time to engage with the community around them. To do so, they need to be happy with the knowledge that there is somewhere safe for their children to be looked after.

Coffee With Kids - A new business formed by my own experience

As a result, I decided to start Coffee with Kids. We are a registered Social Enterprise CIC, and are a community coffee shop for refugees and low-income parents, supporting them and their children by providing an affordable childcare service on site, so that the parents can work or study in the cafe at the same time. 

When you spend all your time looking after your children, it is very hard to build a social network and make new friends. We will provide a space so that refugee and asylum seeking parents feel integrated into their community, through building a social network by meeting new people at the community cafe whilst their children are being looked after

Our target customers 

• Parents from low-incomes and no access to child care support, including refugee parents and also parents who have no access to public funds, meaning they can not afford any childcare. 
• Parents who are looking to network and be part of a friendly community while receiving child care. We want to help to build social networks for those parents who may have none and be very isolated. 
• Parents who need a space to work or study while their children are being cared for. Just because you have children, does not mean you should not be able to work or study. We want to support parents in continuing their studies and work.

Why this is so important?

From my own experience, I know that there were so many problems for me when it came to childcare. I could not find anywhere that I could afford to look after my children, so I could focus on my studies and work.  

For Refugees, Asylum Seekers and low income parents, there is a lack of: 

• Lack of access to affordable childcare
• Loneliness and social isolation among parents
• A safe and welcoming place to work or study.

How this is going to happen?

Coffee with kids wants to solve this problem by providing a coffee shop that deals with the childcare issue by providing: 

• Warm and friendly community space and ready-made social network; Parents will meet other parents going through similar life experiences, and will be able to offer support to one another. More than that they will be able to make friends. 
• Affordable childcare; Perhaps most importantly we want to solve the childcare issue. 
• A place to work or study; Everyone needs an environment to be able to continue their work and studies.
• Snacks and a hot meal; We will have one shared hot meal a day for community members.
• Hot coffee, computers and good wifi! Coffee and technology make the work happen! 

At coffee with kids, we are entirely different and unique, providing a brand new service because we address the needs, problems and desires of refugees ,  asylum seekers and low income parents.

We are providing 

• employment and volunteering opportunities for community members. As an asylum seeker in the UK, you do not have the right to work so they can volunteer with us while we look after their kids.

Many asylum seekers and refugees have a lot of qualifications and they did not choose to leave their countries, they had no choice. By provide opportunities of employment and volunteering, so that people can redefine themselves in Britain after starting a new life and so that they can regain some confidence that they might have lost.