FOR many refugees, groups can provide a lifeline in their new homes.
Fifi Baslim, a Yemeni refugee, has been able to make Glasgow her home with the help of groups such as Maryhill Integration Network and Gilded Lilly.
The 51-year-old mother of five came to Scotland in 2019 just before the country was plunged into lockdown.
Irrepressibly bubbly, it strikes me as I interview Baslim in the cafe of the giant Tesco in Maryhill, Glasgow, that few things would get her down.
But her first year in the city was fraught with difficulty.
Her sons were taken away from her, she says, and moved into the Park Inn Hotel in the city centre. For any mother, this would be hard enough. But then tragedy struck.
Her sons, removed from their home because they were over 18, were staying in the hotel when Badreddin Abadlla Adam stabbed six people on June 26, 2020 before he was shot dead by a police officer.
She said the “best moment in all my life” came when she had confirmation her boys were unharmed.
“They said there were many people who had died there, I don’t know about my sons, I was so scared,” she said.
Involvement with community projects has allowed Baslim to pursue her hobbies and groups have given her the chance to build a community for herself.
There is a brief moment of confusion when, asked what her hobbies are, Baslim tells me that she enjoys recycling. Things are clarified when she produces her phone to show off her Instagram account which features delicate and intricate ornaments made from bottle caps, egg cartons and other bits and bobs which would otherwise be consigned to the dump.
“Gilded Lilly gave me the tools, everything for my hobbies,” she said.
It is a passion which took her all the way to Cop26 in Glasgow five years ago, where she said her creations were featured in a display.
Baslim, who lives in Drumchapel, has adapted to Scotland’s climate remarkably well for someone who spent most of their life in the desert climate of Saudi Arabia.
“I love the rain. When the rain comes, me and my husband we go outside, we sit outside,” she says. “It’s like a detox.”
When winter comes around, she often treats her children to “organic”, homemade ice cream: “When the snow comes, I collect the snow. What I do, I bring flavouring, I add it to the snow.”
Having a secure base in her adopted home seems certain to have given Baslim’s children the chance to thrive in their new home.
Despite her worries about him travelling solo, her adult son Siraj Balubaid (above) has cycled across Scotland, was voted “Rider of the Year” in a reader poll for BikeRadar magazine, and even featured in a BBC documentary.
She describes Islam, one of her four sons, as the “star” pupil of Drumchapel Academy. An Army cadet, the 17-year-old wants to go on to study medicine, says Baslim. And his accent could fool most into thinking he was a born-and-bred Glaswegian, she adds. “His Scottish accent is amazing. When he talks – don’t look at his face, you will know he’s not Scottish – but his accent, amazing.”
Baslim has been involved with MIN since July and the group has helped her get involved with activities such as gardening.
“This community, it’s amazing,” she said.
Groups like MIN and Gilded Lilly have helped Baslim and her family adjust even through challenging circumstances to their adopted home.
“It feels like you’re home,” she said.
