An alarming number of migrants in Sheffield experience loneliness and disconnect from both their home country to their new home in Sheffield, says Brazilian native.
Migrants across Sheffield experience negative interactions on public transport, at work and at school that can lead to loneliness. Negative labels on social media and a loss of faith also contribute to this loneliness.
Lívia Barreira, from Brazil, said: “When I permanently moved to Sheffield in 2016 I had a lack of understanding about cultural aspects and my English skills were not great.
“As a professional journalist I felt frustrated. I also experienced the challenge of making friends as an adult in another country.”
The 2021 census revealed that nearly 84 thousand residents across Sheffield were migrants and over one thousand of those were refugees.
Mrs Barreira said: “Throughout my years in the UK I have observed that many migrants, especially migrant women, experience similar challenges to me so I wrote a book titled ‘Living in Sheffield: Our Journeys as Migrant Women.
‘Living in Sheffield: Our Journeys as Migrant Women’ is a self-published book by Mrs Barreira aimed to promote diversity and the impact of diversity in Sheffield through the stories of eight female migrants who have settled in the city.”
Muhammed Abdallah, 21, said: “Moving to a new place at such a young age, I definitely experienced loneliness within the first few months and its something every migrant goes through in Sheffield and something we have to do all we can to get through.
Mr Abdallah, from Singapore, moved to Sheffield a year ago to study Chemical Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University.
Mr Abdallah said: “I think staying in touch with my faith and my family at home definitely helped but making new friends and experiencing new activities in Sheffield helped me adjust to my new home rather than keep wanting to go home.”
Sheffield Hallam University offer international students pre-arrival support, visa support, study and welfare support and activities to help students get adjusted.