Part 3: Reading the text g7 Task 4: Read the following text.


Why migration is still as important an issue today as it was when my


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grandmother was a refugee It seems that every time you turn the television on, or pick up a newspaper, there is another depressing story about refugees. It is an ongoing issue which significantly affects, directly or indirectly, every part of the world. As an international studies student, I have an academic interest in this subject, and as the granddaughter of a refugee, I also have a personal and emotional one. Despite these terrible images which we see or read about, it seems that little is being done to help these refugees. Indeed, many people, particularly in the West, seem to believe that too much is already being done! In my opinion, this is not the case: governments should be doing much more to help people who find themselves in such difficult situations through no fault of their own.


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I am fortunate in that I live in a relatively stable society. Although of course we face problems every day, these are small and irrelevant compared with the kind of problems which millions face every day across the world. These problems include: disease, hunger, HIV/AIDS and lack of access to safe water. My family has not always lived in this kind of society. I became more aware of this when my maternal grandmother showed me her diary last year, which was written when she was a teenager many years ago. She was forced to leave her home and everything she knew, and start a new life elsewhere.


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Although she was only thirteen years old when she wrote about her experiences, she captures the scenes in graphic detail. One part which stood out was the way she wrote about the noise. From morning until evening she described the cacophony of sound that accompanied them as they moved to their new home – the crying children, the shouting of soldiers and the despairing sounds of animals. Something else she talked about a lot was the smell. One of her diary entries reads: “The smell in the camp is disgusting! It’s awful … I’m not sure how much longer I can take this (but I know we have to go on.)”.


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When I talked more with my grandmother, she told me about what happened when she and her family arrived at their new home. At first, she had lessons in the refugee camp, where she showed herself to be a fast learner. After this, she went to one of the local schools and focused her attention on learning English, and was given training in how to type. With these two skills, she was able to get a job and an income. Initially, some of her new colleagues were suspicious of her, but when they saw that she was a good person who wanted to help herself and her family, she was accepted. She was lucky; thousands of others were not.


My grandmother is an illustration of the positive changes that can be made when migrants are supported. I hope that governments in the 21st


century recognize this and do more to support 40


people in these difficult times. The problem is a persistent one, and it is not going to stop in the near future unless we do something about it. The overwhelming majority of refugees want the chance of a new life. Isn’t it our moral duty to help them try to achieve this?


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