Hana Tedese's Fostering Story
Hana has been fostering with ACS since 2021. Originally from Ethiopia, her own experience has given her the understanding and empathy to help change the lives of unaccompanied sanctuary seeking children. Read her story.
Birmingham-based foster parent Hana Tedese shares her journey into fostering. From seeking refuge in the UK and volunteering at her local church to working with people living with disabilities, Hana's path hasn't been easy. Now, she uses her experiences to provide a safe, stable, and loving home for sanctuary-seeking children – all because she ‘just loves helping people’.
Hana has been fostering with ACS for 4 years, caring for sanctuary-seeking children from Afghanistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Iraq. She currently has two teenage girls from Eritrea in her care and is helping them build a new life. Here, she shares her journey into fostering.
From sanctuary-seeker to foster mum
23 years ago, Hana had no choice but to flee Ethiopia and seek sanctuary in the UK. The situation in Ethiopia has been challenging for several decades due to war and the political climate. Millions of people are internally displaced in Ethiopia due to the ongoing conflict and natural disasters, and hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country all together.
When Hana arrived in the UK, she had no idea what the future would hold or that her motivation for helping people would lead her to fostering, she said: “When I came to the UK, I was very young and went through very difficult situations.”
“I thought everything would be easy, but it wasn’t. I had to wait eight years to get my papers so I could work. While I waited, I volunteered at my church, helped my community, and went to college to improve my English. Not long after receiving my papers, I found out about fostering and wanted to use my experiences to help others.”
Transforming pain into purpose
Hana understands the challenges faced by those fleeing their home countries to seek refuge in the UK. She believes being able to fully empathise with their experiences can make a huge difference, she said: “I’m fostering two girls who are 16 and 17-years-old at the moment. The children had only been in the country a week before I began fostering them. The British asylum system is very challenging; I think it’s easier for me to help them with this huge change because I’ve been through it myself.”
“When they arrived, they didn't know anything – they had just left their family, country and everything they’d ever known. When I first met one of the girls, she was so relieved when she realised she would be living with people who understood her background and language. She cried and cried and said, ‘I can’t believe it. I’m so lucky’.”
Sanctuary-seeking children often have harrowing experiences in their home countries and on their journey to the UK. Hana shared the challenges the young people in her care faced, she said: "When my 16-year-old came from Eritrea, her path to the UK was very difficult. She had even been in a Libyan prison, and I wonder how she managed to get through that. It’s unimaginable.”
Patience, positivity, possibilities
Hana is dedicated to instilling a good work ethic into the children she fosters, preparing them for adulthood and encouraging them to pursue their aspirations, she said, "As they are children, you have to show them the right and wrong way and teach them how to live when they turn 18.”
“I always share my experiences to inspire and teach them to be someone. It makes me so proud when they listen and apply my advice. My goal is to show them that if I can make it, so can they.”
“One of the girls told me 'I want to learn.' So, I explained what she needed to do – start with English, take a college course and then she can go to university. She wants to study radiography, and I am confident that she will."
“The main thing is to be patient, stay positive and help children see the possibilities. Twenty years ago, I didn’t speak English and didn’t have anything, but now I’m married, have a job I love, and I’m fostering. Children need to believe they can do this too.”
The joy of fostering
Hana is encouraging individuals from all backgrounds to consider fostering, she said: "I think it’s important that people of all cultures foster so they can understand each child’s culture and background. We are all capable of making an amazing difference. When you foster sanctuary-seeking children and you speak their language, it’s easier for them to get used to the country and the culture.”
“When the social worker asks the two girls I foster how they are, they say they are very happy and feel safe here. I think that’s because I speak the language, and they love their cultural food, which I make sure is always available for them.”
“We’re like a family now, and I’m going to miss them a lot when they leave.”
If you'd like to begin a new life-changing career and want to learn more about faith-based fostering, please get in touch. Together, we can help children from all backgrounds rebuild their lives and have the childhood they deserve.
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