Visit homepage Donation Donate Menu Suhail's Story Suhail arrived in the UK aged just 14 years old. Like many young refugees and migrants, he had to fight hard to start a new life. He struggled with mental health but has now found his feet. He has a passion for photography and takes photos of his time in London. suhail's london photos Fighting quicksand When Suhail first arrived in the UK, it wasn't easy. 'You basically start a new life, in a new country, new culture, with new things around. It’s like you’re stuck in the middle of somewhere like clay or quicksand. When you try to get out, it’s really hard.' being alone as a young refugee Being alone, he had to learn to get by the hard way. ‘It’s really extremely hard, because you don’t know anything. Especially if you have to do everything on your own without your family.' At first he felt desperately sad. He had no one to turn to. 'I used to get really emotional, I felt like crying.' It was a hard time. Still is. But right now I feel a little bit better. london buses Suhail was introduced to us and we were able to work with him through his more difficult times. We helped with his age dispute and supported him with his mental health. 'Many times I struggled to keep my life. I was going to end it. But it was The Children’s Society and their help, giving me a plan and what I should do when I felt like this...I can definitely say that is one of the reasons I am still alive now.' Suhail is feeling more confident now 'and hoping that everything will one day sort out.' suhail's story positive I feel less lonely compared to other places I've been 'All the different ways I have experienced difficulties, losing my family, coming here, I learned from each of them. I got the wisdom and understanding from these things. Hopefully I will get back to my family and find them, and go to university. Being the person that I want to be.' case study This is a true story but names and identifying details have been changed to protect the young person and the photographs have been posed by models. Donate now Give monthly Give a one-off donation £5 monthly £5 a month could pay for a hot meal, shower and living essentials for a young runaway Select £5 £10 monthly £10 a month could pay for a front line worker's phone so children in danger can contact them Select £10 £20 monthly £20 a month could pay for a family to have mediation sessions to resolve conflict at home Select £20 Select your own amount Select your own amount monthly £ Whether it’s a little or a lot, give as much as you can and make a huge difference to a young person Select amount Share the page Share this page on Twitter Share this page on Facebook Share this page on LinkedIn Related content Story Molly’s Story Molly is a young carer. She has been looking after her family since the age of ten. This is her story, told in her words. Our areas of work We work with children who run away, are abused or battling mental health. We look out for young carers, refugees and children groomed into gangs. Our impact The young people we work with shine a light on parts of society that are broken for them. In turn, we help them regain their hope. Keep in touch_final Keep in touch Sign up to receive email updates about our work and how you can support children and young people. You can unsubscribe at any time. First name Last name Email address Please see our privacy policy for details of how we will use your information and keep it safe and secure. Submit Get in touch The Children's Society Whitecross Studios 50 Banner Street London EC1Y 8ST Supporter Care: 0300 303 7000 Quick links Contact us Jobs Safeguarding children Organisational policies and statements Privacy policy Cookie policy Accessibility Terms and Conditions Supporter promise Access to records Our apology to victims of past abuse Book of remembrance Young people's complaints Connect with us Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter YouTube © The Children's Society 2021 / All rights reserved / Charity Registration No. 221124 Back to top About cookies on this site We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, to provide social media features and to enhance and customise content and advertisements.Learn more ALLOW ALL COOKIES COOKIE SETTINGS