School children show support by making art for refugee centre after their murals were painted over.

A group of young students from St Gerard's Catholic Primary School in Birmingham, UK, have taken action against the painting over of murals at an asylum centre in Kent. After hearing the news, 8 to 9 year olds were left feeling ‘ashamed of their country’.

The schoolchildren decided to send hand-drawn pictures to the young refugees housed at the Kent Intake Centre. Having gathered around 100 pieces of artwork, the children also sent some pictures directly to Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.

Some of the students, like 8 year old Hugo, felt dismayed that the Government had made the centre less welcoming. “It made me feel ashamed of my country because they’re making the children’s centre less welcoming,” he said.

Another 8 year old, Ophelia, shared her feelings about the whole incident. “It made me feel really sad and angry, because some people in the world aren’t being very nice to them, and I think they should be welcomed everywhere,” she said.

The students were inspired to make their own pictures to send to the children, with the hope of making them feel more welcome. 8 year old Darcey said, “As soon as I heard that those paintings were being painted over, I almost cried, because I don’t think people should be treated like that because we don’t know what they’re going through.”

9 year old Anointing-Shalom added that she felt angry and disappointed when she heard the news, and she wanted people to recognise that refugee children are ‘like superheroes’. “We’re supposed to treat others how we want to be treated,” she said.

The schoolchildren have also written letters to their local MP, and they hosted adult refugees from Sudan, Cameroon, Syria and Nigeria at the school last week, through the Stories of Hope and Home charity.

As part of the school’s work towards a Schools of Sanctuary award, the children have heard what it was like for refugees to leave their country and seek asylum in the UK. Anointing-Shalom shared her thoughts, saying, “It makes me feel ashamed because it makes me feel like the country that I live in is not that friendly if you’re not from here.”

The students hope that their messages and artwork will make a difference in the lives of the young refugees. They want the Government to listen to them and be kind to refugees, and to give them the welcome they deserve.

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