Gloria

Gloria is a young Congolese woman who was seized by the military, blind-folded, beaten and brutally raped. She fled to Angola and then to Britain but her claim for asylum was rejected and all benefits removed. She was destitute, wandering the streets of Southampton.

We have been able to provide 30 weeks of accommodation and a small amount for subsistence and some food from Basics Bank. In the summer we took her fruit and vegetables from Winchester allotments. We have also found her:-

• a doctor and hospital treatment
• a place with Crisis for Rape and an interpreter
• a medical specialist willing to confirm the scars she has were the result of a certain kind of beating, evidence we hope can be used to reopen her asylum claim

As a result, Gloria's mental and physical scars are on the mend and she has some hope for the future.

Pierre

Last year we related the story of Pierre, a nurse from DR Congo, who was falsely accused of being implicated in the assassination of the President of the Congo. He was imprisoned and ordered to kill fellow prisoners by injecting them. Pierre escaped to England where he was supported by SWVG for four years.

Pierre was refused asylum and narrowly escaped deportation early last year. He was eventually released from detention and reunited with his fiancée. Last summer SWVG were very pleased to help organise their marriage and reception at St Michael's Church in Southampton - a very lively and joyful day.

However, Pierre, like so many others, received no benefit and was not allowed to work to support his new family. He decided to return to the Congo to obtain papers which would allow him to find temporary work here for up to two years. This was potentially very dangerous, but with the help and support of his wife, relatives, SWVG and Bishop Michael (of Winchester) he was able to make the journey legally, obtain his papers and return safely to this country.

He is now able to live a fuller life, work, develop his talents and provide for himself and his family. We wish them well.

David

"I came to the UK a year ago to attend a meeting. I was a teacher who was also involved in a senior position in one of my country's main voluntary organisations. The purpose of attending the meeting was to improve my performance within that voluntary organisation.

I intended to return to my country after the meeting, but when I phoned my mother to say I was returning she told me that my father, who had been imprisoned as an opponent of the government, had died within a few days of being released from prison as a result of his treatment. My brother was also in prison due to his opposition to the government and I had previously been detained and tortured for a few weeks, simply because I had visited the prison to ask for my father's blessing for the journey (as is customary in my country). On his release my father told my mother that he had overheard the guards say that I would be the next victim, and so she urged me not to return. I didn't know what to do or where to go. In London I slept in the streets or in railway stations and begged for food. I looked for a solicitor, but those I contacted would have charged over £1,000.

Eventually I was put in contact with an organisation in Farnborough called 'Seeds of Africa' which accommodated me for a few weeks and put me in touch with the Citizens Advice Bureau who in turn told me about SWVG. I made an appointment and was told about the group's activities. I felt a great sense of relief. I was put in touch with a visitor who has supported and helped me with some problems. The group has obtained the services of a solicitor and I have been able to pursue an asylum claim. SWVG has also helped with my medical and accommodation problems, and has even found a lovely bike for me so that I can cycle daily to work as a volunteer at 'Tools for Self-Reliance' where I have made many friends."