From Struggle To Stability: How Tulia Changed Cynthia’s Life

Cynthia, a 34-year-old mother, has been in the UK since 2014 and faced significant challenges, including detention and struggles with housing and food insecurity. She first became aware of Tulia through Rumbi while in detention in 2016. Tulia provided crucial support by connecting her with a solicitor for her immigration and family court cases, helping her navigate the legal process and secure housing. With their assistance, Cynthia has found stability in NASS accommodation and received financial help, therapy, and counsel for her emotional well-being following a history of domestic abuse. Grateful for the hope and peace provided by Tulia, Cynthia emphasizes the value of their support and would recommend their services to others in similar situations.

How did you first hear about Tulia? I’ve known about them for a while, I can’t even estimate the years, probably 3 or so years, I think. I’ve known about Tulia for as long as I’ve known Rumbi. I first got in touch with Rumbi in 2016, when I was in detention, and usually I communicate with her.

What was your situation like before? I’ve been in the UK since 2014, initially I was on a visitor visa, I was in detention in 2016-2017. I needed legal help and support, I needed legal advice with the family court case that I had as well as my immigration assessment. Then I contacted them last year around June and July.

What steps did Tulia take with your situation? They helped find a solicitor to help me process my immigration application as well as in family court and regarding a custody issue with my daughter. They were there through that whole process: representing me in court, preparing the paperwork, how I should apply, what I should do, what is required, they just kind of took my hand through the whole process. Then with accommodation, but that need came only around August thereabouts. It was suggested, I got advice, but I only took the advice in December 2020 really, and so they assisted me to apply for housing.

What improvements or highlights have there been? I’m currently now in NASS accommodation, since January 2021. My status currently is awaiting Asylum Support Decision from the Home Office. On Christmas I got monetary assistance to help me because I was struggling with food. I got £50 to help me buy pampers, because I live up here, up north, so they assisted me with that so that I would be able to at least I could be able to buy food for my daughter, because I mean I was really struggling cause I wasn’t getting any assistance from the government really, until I moved into NASS accommodation. They’ve also helped me with counselling and therapy as well, cause I needed to go through therapy, after going through a situation of domestic abuse like emotionally, so I also got that support and it’s still ongoing. I had therapy sessions with Dr. Christine Tazarurwa and I’m currently on another session, another 12-week session, so they’ve also been assisting with that. Before I got the assistance to apply and had to do the whole process NASS I was really really struggling. I was nearly homeless because I couldn’t afford to pay my rent, I couldn’t go to work, I couldn’t buy food for myself. And obviously I was not getting support from my ex-partner, so it was basically a mess. But since then, I’m comfortable with my daughter, we’ve got a roof over our head. I don’t have to worry about food as much, and I don’t have to worry where we’re going to live. And I’m getting at least some government assistance in terms of like some vouchers that I get from NASS, weekly allowances that goes a long way to help me get food and be able to clothe my daughter, because those have been my main concerns. My immigration applications are finally in so now I’m just waiting for the decision, before that I hadn’t even had any applications, I didn’t even know how to go about it. From 2017 when I came out of detention I just went underground because I had exhausted all of my appeals so there was nothing else really that I could do and I didn’t know what other application I could do, so at least when Tulia came in, it took a whole lot of stress off me. They helped me through my family court cases to have a legal representative to represent me and go about it and get a fair chance in court because if I had gone on my own, I think I’d be in a worse of a situation.

Would you recommend the service to others? Oh yes and a thousand times yes, I would. One of the things I was always so afraid of, before I got the legal assistance, with the family court case I thought I was actually going to lose my daughter, because I didn’t know the legalities of the law or how to go about it and because in the court the other party had that much knowledge, I could easily have lost my daughter or been found in a vulnerable situation, but Tulia came in and I got the legal assistance and had an idea of what is involved. In terms of the therapy that I’ve gotten as well it has helped rebuild me back so once this whole immigration thing is done, everything else will be much easier, you know I will have a voice. It’s given me so much hope, you know you sleep better I’ve never thought I would get to a day that I would say oh my goodness I’ve suffered from and I’ve gone into depression, but I’ve gone through all that after all the things that we’re going on around me- but now I can tell you I can sleep. Here and there you get these moments where you worry when is this thing going to be sorted but I sleep better, I’m a happier person, I’m a better parent- more time with my daughter. Because I know if I’ve got something I can always have someone to ring, someone to assist me. That gives me a whole lot of peace, so I really appreciate Tulia, last year I was at a breaking point and I really don’t know where I would be without, but through the support that I have. In 2016 I didn’t even know about Tulia, but I knew about Rumbi, and having people that will pray with you that would call me in detention just to pray with me and it went along way and I never forgot about that. So even now I’ve found people that I call sisters now through some of the networks and that came from Rumbi herself as a person.

In which ways could Tulia’s services improve? For everything that I’ve needed, even being pinpointed to the right places, financial assistance for food or people and support groups, I’ve literally gotten the support that I really needed. So, at the moment I can’t say anything that I can be improved.

Please note: The names and identifying details of the clients featured in these testimonials have been anonymized to protect their privacy and confidentiality.

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