The Challenge
IN THE PAST YEAR, 1,000 PEOPLE MADE THE CHOICE TO LEAVE NORTH KOREA AND MAKE BETTER LIVES.
It is the biggest choice they will ever make as it is illegal to leave the country without permission, but that's only the beginning.
SINCE 2003, OVER, 1,000 NORTH KOREANS
HAVE ESCAPED FROM THEIR COUNTRY
AND MADE NEW LIVES IN THE UK AS EXILES
AND REFUGEES.
The majority have settled in New Malden, a small
suburb in southwest London.
ENGLISH LEARNING
PROGRAMME
DROP-IN ADVICE
SESSION
MENTAL HEALTH
SUPPORT
In our community hub, North Koreans can take part in our English-language learning programme
to learn the English language and cultural acclimatisation skills they need to find work, to develop
friendshops, to communication with their children's teachers, to speak to their GPs, and to integrate
into the UK. While North Koreans work to achieve their goals for language acquisition, we also
provide drop-in advice and guidance sessions to ensure they are properly supported before they
can support themselves. But language isn't the only issue. A significant number of North Koreans
report mental health problems - from complex PTSD to depression.
In response, we set up an outreach and mental health programme run by a qualified
psychotherapist. North Koreans can access weekily therapy sessions to help them process the
trauma they exprienced before they came to the UK, enabling them to overcome the
psychological barrier to learning the skills they need to integrate. We also support the next
generation through educational support in daily homework help sessions.