Direct provision income support not meeting basic needs

Youth leader for the Irish Refugee Council, Marwa Zamir speaks about her experience of direct provision in 2016, versus that of residents nowadays, and why she is glad she went through it at the time she did

Marwa Zamir says she is glad she went though direct provision in 2016, rather than now because, she says: ‘I could never see myself being homeless and on the street’. Picture: Arthur Carron/Collins Photos

IN 2016, then-13-year-old Marwa Zamir travelled to Ireland with her mother and three younger siblings seeking asylum after an explosive device detonated next to their school in Kabul, Afghanistan.

She told the Irish Examiner: “I remember repairing the windows so often because of the explosions happening nearby. They happened so often that I didn’t react anymore. It was like fireworks, the first one might scare you, but the second, third, fourth, it won’t affect you anymore.

“My parents never wanted to leave. One (an explosion) happened near our school and that’s when my mom said, ‘My four kids were in that school. I can’t lose my kids, we’re leaving’.

“My dad didn’t come with us. He was working in the government. He loved his country. But then after the Taliban took over he was evacuated to the UK.” 

After initially presenting to a garda station to apply for asylum, Marwa and her family were brought to Balseskin Reception Centre.

“It’s the worst place to be, there’s people from all over the world who’ve been through experiences that you don’t understand,” she said.

“It’s an intense environment for a woman, because it’s male dominant and my family didn’t have any males, just my brothers, but they were only five or four.”

 After two weeks, the family were moved to Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, where they lived in direct provision accommodation for over three years while their case was processed.

Now, the family lives in Lucan, Co Dublin.

Timing

Marwa, who says she considers herself Afghan-Irish, is studying law at Maynooth University and works as a youth leader for the Irish Refugee Council.

She describes the international protection system as “a long process, especially for a young person”.

“As a young person, you have so many dreams. I was still hopeful that this would pass.

I do feel lucky that we went through direct provision in 2016 rather than now, because I could never see myself being homeless and on the street, or seeing the protesters around me and being made to feel unwanted.” 

When asked what she would like to say to people who are protesting at direct provision centres, Marwa replied: “What’s the reason you guys are so mad? What’s the aim? You guys are scaring people.

“You have freedom of speech, but if you really are against this, you can do it in another way where it doesn’t affect people living in direct provision.

“I would probably ask them, ‘Do you have a family in another country? Why did they move?’” 

Hard to watch

Marwa is also doing an internship at the Irish Refugee Council as a case worker.

She says she has struggled emotionally seeing asylum seekers left to sleep on the streets due to a lack of suitable accommodation.

“I was going through a hard time at the beginning when people were coming in saying, ‘I’m homeless, help me’. I was shocked to be honest.

Being so new in the country, they don’t know what’s happening, where to live, where it’s safe. Some were beaten up by other homeless people.

“And they (the government) are going, ‘Oh sorry, Ireland is going through a hard time and we can’t provide accommodation, so you will be on a waiting list’. Then they’re just left out. It feels like it’s getting worse and worse every day.” 

Currently, people living in direct provision receive income support of €38.80 per week for adults and €29.80 for a child.

Research released this month by St Vincent de Paul’s Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) Centre revealed that the weekly payments provide some families with less than half of what is needed.

“It’s hard to be honest, especially now. Back in 2016, you could have done something if you save up two or three weeks, but now everything is so expensive. It’s hard, especially for students,” said Marwa.

She revealed that one young man in her youth group had to cancel a dentist appointment, despite being in great pain, as he had no money left for transport to the dentist’s surgery.

“He had to cancel because he couldn’t afford the bus to go to the dentist. 

Now he says that from the €38, he saves up €5 each week in case of an emergency. He doesn’t want to go through that pain again.

“Overall though, we’re just grateful for what we have. Even that guy said to me: ‘I’m still grateful for what I have; the main thing is that I’m safe. That’s all that matters’.

“So he was still happy even with all the pain, that he was saved.”