New Londoners: Reflections on home

Elhum, Trinity Community Centre Trustee:A few weeks ago, Mekdes and I taught one young person from Dost how to cook eggs. He had been living on canned soup since his arrival in the UK. We put the oil in the pan, added some chopped tomatoes, cracked an egg and waited for it to cook. 'It's so easy!' he said, amazed. 'It's so nice!' he marvelled. Since then, every time he sees me, he informs me of his latest cooking endeavours. Photograph: Sharafa Marjani/PhotoVoice

Lawrence Stopwar: A typical day in Dalston market. Leigh Mayor is among the individuals who has grown up in the market and knows a lot about it. She runs their family fruit and vegetable stall with a helping hand from her mum and her brother Photograph: Lawrence Stopwar/PhotoVoice

Mussie Haile: This picture is interesting and makes me wonder. It was the first time I came into contact with the police in England. I was stopped and searched when I was waiting outside Downing Street. Afterwards I took this self-portrait holding the piece of paper they gave me Photograph: Mussie Haile/PhotoVoice

Loria Siamia: This church is so special to me. It is a refuge. It is a French-Lingala church. There are lots of things that make me happy. The most important ones are: God, my family, my friends, my teacher and people who participate in my success. When I am worried and I ask God why, I know he hears me. My family - even though I don't know where they all are - are the most important people in my life. I will always remember them. It is because of them that I am who I am now Photograph: Loria Siamia/PhotoVoice

Shamin Nakalembe: When I first came to England it surprised me when I saw how many different cultures there were all living here side-by-side. I decided I wanted to somehow photograph these different traditions. I like performing and dressing up, so I imagined what different people might do, and how they might look. This is Janet Macintosh, who has just moved down from Scotland Photograph: Shamin Nakalembe/PhotoVoice

Flowers N: This is from when I went to Southend with my sisters Photograph: Flowers N./PhotoVoice

Qasim Gul: This is Akhtar. Everyone told him not to go up but he did. In our language 'to be a lion' means to be courageous Photograph: Qasim Gul/PhotoVoice

Feng Chen Feng: A foreigner lying down in Chinatown. In fact, we are all "foreigners" Photograph: Feng Chen Feng/PhotoVoice

Ivano Kankonde: The man on the left of the picture is my friend. I have known him for four years. Him and the band - the Congolese Youth Band - are very talented musicians. A while after we first met, we ended up living together, along with the drummer as well. Sometime later I got involved in a photography project through the Refugee Council. That was the day I first had the feeling that I wanted to do something in film and photography Photograph: Ivano Kankonde/PhotoVoice

Al-Mousaoy: It was a busy road near the British Museum, the man was fast asleep, his clothes were dirty, there were people passing him by and nobody was asking if he was OK. In poor countries we are used to seeing people sleeping in the street but I didn’t expect to see it in England. When I saw movies of London back in Iraq it would only show the good things – the buildings, the wealth, the people … not the rubbish and the homelessness Photograph: Al-Mousaoy/PhotoVoice

Chalak Abdulrahman: Maybe I’ll be happy here. I have not chosen to be here... I should be happy. But I am not yet. I am not able to start my life yet. Not until I get the visa. I am here but I am always thinking about my city, Kirkuk. I want to live in my city but I can’t. My thoughts are like this all the time, I want to be here, but I don’t know if they will let me stay. I want to be there but can’t be there either. So what can I do? Photograph: Chalak Abdulrahman/PhotoVoice

Dorky N: In this country, I feel like a shadow with my real body in my home country; my body is lost somewhere, and nobody knows where. The expression of my hands shows how I feel scared, out of myself and really, really confused about what might happen to me in this country Photograph: Dorky N./PhotoVoice

Bajram Spahia: I came to the UK in 2001. My first impressions were strange. I was in East Ham and it was not like the UK I had seen on television. Once you get over the strangeness of difference you understand how many things are the same. These photographs have been taken over several months, while I waited for celebrities, when I was working as a paparazzi videographer. I have waited in so many places. They are quiet moments. Photograph: Bajram Spahia/PhotoVoice

Tatiana Correia: I had my citizenship ceremony last summer and to my surprise it was quite emotional. The Town Hall provides a lovely service and makes sure citizens are made to feel welcome and appreciated. It feels like a very positive symbol of ‘real’ multiculturalism Photograph: Tatiana Correia/PhotoVoice