ASYLUM seekers and refugees in Newport have been embracing the Welsh culture by learning the language.

The women – who have come to Newport from countries including China, Sudan and Eritrea – have been learning Welsh thanks to a partnership between the British Red Cross and Learn Welsh Gwent. It is run by Coleg Gwent on behalf of the National Centre for Learning Welsh.

The course is being held for free on a virtual classroom after the pandemic meant they and tutor Jaquie Spiller had to halt their face-to-face classes.

A number of the students already speak two languages before learning Welsh and are also mothers who are keen to use their new Welsh language skills with their children who are learning Welsh in school.

British Red Cross’ refugee and migration support coordinator, Theresa Mgadzah Jones, said: “When the Home Office accommodates people here, very little information is given about Wales being a different country. People think it’s England and aren’t aware there’s a different culture and language.

“Then when people have been here for a while, they start noticing road and other public signs, and realise there is another language. Their children will also learn Welsh phrases and nursery rhymes.

“So we started the lessons with Learn Welsh Gwent because parents were inquisitive and wanted to know more about the language.”

Red Cross were able to get funding to help with the move to virtual classrooms as only a few of the students had laptops and access to Wi-Fi. The funding helped to buy laptops for the women who didn’t have them and also to ensure that there was Wi-Fi.

This allowed six of the women to carry on learning the language.

Ms Mgadzah Jones said: “These women want to learn Welsh because they feel that when you move to a new country, you should learn the language of that country. They want to help their children with their homework, but more importantly, they recognise the benefits of being multilingual.

“They know that if they or their children also learn Welsh as well as English, this will open more doors for them when they look for employment.”

The National Centre for Learning Welsh has also created a 10-week taster course for refugees and asylum seekers first arriving in Wales to introduce them to the Welsh culture and everyday words and phrases.

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Ms Mgadzah Jones said: “It’s a fantastic course which can be used side-by-side with the ESOL (English) course. The pictures, illustrations, food and countries mentioned in the course are reflective of the countries the women are from and the diverse communities in Wales.

“It’s nice for the women we support to see things that are familiar to them, and non-white faces. It has certainly been very useful to us.”

Efa Gruffudd Jones, chief executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, adds: “Creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to enjoy learning Welsh is a key priority at the National Centre, and we’re delighted to be working with the Red Cross, and our course provider, Learn Welsh Gwent, to enable these students to learn Welsh.

“We have a range of other Welsh courses available, including courses for parents, lessons in the workplace, virtual classrooms and independent online study.  New courses for beginners are starting in January and we’re looking forward to welcoming learners to our supportive and friendly community.”

Ms Mgadzh Jones is originally from Zimbabwe and moved to London when she was 12 years old as the war for independence was breaking out. She now lives in Cardiff with her husband, who is a Welsh speaker, and their three children. 

She said, “My children are mixed race and have attended Welsh-medium schools. I’ve learnt some Welsh, but as a black woman, I’m very self-conscious when I go to Welsh classes as I don’t see many black people learning Welsh.

“I have always felt that we are at a disadvantage. It’s not only refugees who aren’t aware of the language, but the wider BAME community that has been here for a long time too.

“They seem to have the impression that Welsh ‘is a language for white people’, which is certainly not true.  This is something that needs to change and is another reason why we’re introducing the language to the women we support here in Newport.”