Sanatha's Clothing Stall

Sanatha and her family came to Ireland to apply for asylum in 2007. She lived with her husband and their young children in an accommodation centre for five years while their application was considered. They came because they had friends in Ireland who said the country was a good place to live. Sanatha worked to learn English in the accommodation centre, and her oldest child quickly learned English in créche.

In 2012, Sanatha’s husband returned to Georgia following a diagnosis of cancer. Sanatha remained with the children in Ireland for a few months, planning how they could return. The manager of the accommodation centre gave her information about IOM, and she called to make an appointment. IOM staff explained that the family could receive assistance in returning to Georgia, both with the cost of the flight and with a small grant. Sanatha said IOM made it very easy for her to travel with the children. She also began to think about how she should use the reintegration assistance, and planned to apply for it in Georgia.

A few months after she returned, however, her husband left Georgia on the advice of his doctors to receive medical treatment in another country. Sanatha explained that she had a very difficult time after he left, and decided to apply for the reintegration grant to use for her children’s education. However, a friend advised her to instead invest in starting a second-hand clothing shop, which would earn enough to also put her children through school. Sanatha’s friends supported her, and invested in her business as well. The grant enabled her to buy the beginning stock of clothes.

A staff member from IOM Ireland visited Sanatha after six months to see how the business was doing. Sanatha reported that it is going well, although there is a lot of competition from other clothing shops. She is able to cover costs such as rent, the purchase of new stock, her home bills, her children’s necessities, and still have a little bit of money left over.

Sanatha said she does not have any plans for the future because she is waiting to see what will happen with her husband’s illness. They are able to talk every day through Skype. She explained that she is “living day-to-day”, working and looking after her children. Although she misses life in Ireland, she is glad to be able to support her family in Georgia.