Walthamstow school funds refugees' resettlement

The school also arranged for nearly 100 refugee children living in nearby hotels to receive Christmas presents

A primary school has helped to raise enough money to rehome a new family.

St Saviour's Church of England primary school in Walthamstow, north-east London, is part of a programme, Sanctuary for Schools, working with refugee organisations.

Along with the local mosque, they raised £15,000 help Sundus and her father Abdullah settle into a new home.

Sundus, seven, has been at the school since December after fleeing Aleppo in Syria.

After much of their city was destroyed in the civil war, they travelled to Turkey before being resettled in London.

From left: students Jeanette, Chioma, Lois and Abisha

Abdullah, who was rehoused by a Home Office-approved sponsorship scheme, said he did not have the words to express his gratitude, and Sundus said everyone at he school greeted her on her arrival.

A pupil at the school, 11-year-old Chioma, told BBC London said she was happy the school could help.

"I want to be a welcoming person and I want to make friends with people from different backgrounds," she said.

Another pupil, 10-year-old Abisha, said: "At first I didn't know anything about refugees or asylum seekers. But now I know refugees are forced to leave their country because of many dangerous things and they don't want to leave their country."

Sundas and her father Abdullah are grateful for the help they have received

Principal of St Saviour's Amir Lemouchi wants the school to offer kindness and care

School principal Amir Lemouchi said: "We have built a community of parents, children and staff who are really understanding of the plight of refugees.

"Being a school of sanctuary has been important in terms of how we deliver that knowledge and understanding to the wider community and children so they can really understand why people from all sorts of places have to leave their home.

"Refugees are living nearby in hotels and the children have been doing a huge amount of work for the children in the hotels. We're to find as many opportunities as we can to show kindness and care in the smallest possible way."

Iftikar Latif, a volunteer at Faizan Islam mosque, which has also been helping to raise money, said: "In these troubling times, the opportunity to work with St Saviour's Church of England School has been incredible.

"We have so much in common in our faith, and beyond faith, and sharing those humanitarian ideals and knowing there are people out there suffering and we can do something to help them."

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