Established by the UK Government, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was launched in April 2021.
In the summer of that year, local authorities were called upon to expand their support to Afghan personnel who worked alongside the British military as interpreters and translators, as well as at-risk citizens.
As 2024 begins with the theme of ‘Our Home’ at the heart of Refugee Week later this year, one local authority is sharing the story of James Dieterle, deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as part of the British Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corp (REME).
James worked as a translator with the Afghan Forces and formed a strong bond with those he worked with. In 2021 he facilitated his Afghan colleague and friend – and subsequently his family – to safety in the UK, following the fall of the Afghan Government.
James’ commitment to the family continued once in he returned home; he became a landlord himself in order to house the family, accessing resources and support to help them resettle and rebuild their lives. It is a moving story which James only now feels ready to share at https://youtu.be/HY4P6rwP_68.
Many local authorities are participating in the scheme: in the case of landlords in James’s area - Somerset - email resettlement@somerset.gov.uk.]
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It would be far better if the UK kept out of other country's affairs and put our own house in order first. We are not the powerful nation we used to be and our own citizens should come first for a change.
These people need resettling in an Islamic country. This is all the fault of Bden who unilaterly pulled out of Afghanistan where our special forces were fighting leaving them in the lurch. Handing Afghanistan to his sponsors, the Chinese!
Why aren't local countries to Afghanistan doing more? They should be more involved and we should be less involved.
The same reason that none of the arab countries will take anyone from Gaza.
Well there has been other situations some years back when an Afghan Family of seven were housed in Acton in a Detached House at a Rental cost of £12’500. 00 per month I kid you not excluding the Dad who lived at a different address.
Paid for by the Council courtesy of the tax payers. The Actual cost to Rent a similar at the time was £2’500. They wouldn’t mismanage public funds would they ?
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