A man who fled his home country because he feared being persecuted for his faith has revealed how the kindness of Brits made him “very happy” over the Christmas period, when he was struggling to claim asylum in the UK.

Dawit, 40, fled Eritrea in 2014, leaving behind his wife, mum, sister and his career as a maths teacher. He travelled through Sudan, crossing the Sahara desert towards Libya, and ended up on a boat bound for Italy. 

“The journey was really dangerous, especially in the sea,” a tearful Dawit told HuffPost UK. “After four hours the engine stopped because finished oil. I was praying, but finally we were safe.”

Dawit arrived in the UK in 2015 where he met Dai, 68, who is retired, through a charity called Sanctuary Hosting.

He spent Christmas with Dai and his family that year in their home in Oxford, enjoying the delicious food and gifts – and even received a Manchester United football shirt. “I was very, very happy,” Dawit reflects. “When I was in the detention, it’s a different life.”

In 2016, Dawit won his claim for asylum and his wife was able to join him a year later – they have now settled in Cardiff, Wales, where they are starting a new life together.

Dawit likens Dai to his father, because of how he helped him during the difficult process of claiming asylum in the UK. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, by the end of 2018 there were 126,720 refugees, 45,244 pending asylum cases and 125 stateless persons in the UK. That’s around one quarter of a percent (0.26%) of the UK’s total population.

Refugees At Home, Room for Refugees and Action Foundation are just some of the charities helping asylum seekers find temporary homes with generous hosts who have a spare room free.

Reflecting on hosting refugees at Christmas – and throughout the year – Dai, said: “You can help them so easily and do so much for them, by doing very little.”

As for Dawit, he says he and Dai will be “forever friends”.