Fatima Sharifa Ali came to live in Liverpool after fleeing Somalia when war broke out in 1991. She has an infectious laugh and smile, and it is testament to her character that she is never short of something positive to say, despite what she has been through.
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Fatima, 26, grew up in a happy home where her mother was a housewife, and her father an engineer. She loved school and family parties, had nice friends, and got on well with her brother and sisters. But Fatima was just twelve years old when war broke out in Somalia. Along with the rest of her family, she had to leave her whole life behind and flee to a refugee camp in Kenya. Life was tough in the camp. When a man came to the family one day and said he could take Fatima to England for a fee of $2000, her mother, desperate to get one of her children out of the terrible situation they were in, paid it. Thankfully, a year after Fatima left the camp, her brother (who lived in Dubai) was able to send for the rest of her family. She went to the Home Office for help. "When I first came here, I didn't know anybody, but people were helpful so I stayed with them and I was referred to a Refugee Action Group" says Fatima. | "When I graduate, it will be the happiest time of my life - even better than my wedding day!" | | Fatima Sharifa Ali |
After a month, she was granted leave to remain in Britain. As well as studying as John Moores University, Fatima works two jobs. She’s an Administrator for Granby Toxteth Residents Group, and works in a care home at
weekend. "When I understood the meaning of being granted leave to remain in the country, I didn't want my education to go to waste, so I studied computers" she says,Ìý"now I am a third year student in Finance Accountancy at John Moores University and I graduate next year in June." "When I graduate, it will be the happiest time of my life - even better than my wedding day!" | 
