Survivors' stories
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Farood's memory has been severely affected by years of torture and subsequent operations to correct his physical defects. His ability to concentrate is further hampered by frequent intrusive thoughts about his experiences and an overbearing anxiety about the future, which he feels powerless to influence.
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"When I was sent back to Turkey, I knew that I was going to be tortured again. My heart was pounding the entire flight. I wanted to kill myself." Kazim is one of several clients seen at the MF forcibly returned by the UK Government to the very countries responsible for their torture and ill-treatment.
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Politics played no part in Lindie's life until she was mistakenly labelled a "failed asylum seeker" by a British organisation and subsequently scapegoated as an opposition spy by Zimbabwe's ruling ZanuPF party. From that point on, Lindie and her four children were subjected to relentless intimidation that ultimately saw the family divided and Lindie exiled to the UK.
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It has been four long years since Tendai saw her two children. They live in Zimbabwe only avoiding the government's murderous intentions by feigning allegiance to the Zanu PF party that raped and hounded their mother out of the country.
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Ndaka is one of an estimated 11,000 Zimbabweans currently living in the UK after fleeing the violent political conflict that continues to grip their country. Like many others, she has been refused asylum, despite the UK Government's public condemnation of President Mugabe's terrorising rule, the victims of which have widely recounted their experiences.
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Five years ago, standing in front of a crowd would have paralysed Robert Kabemba with fear. For a political activist who had faced off his oppressors, this was a crippling low. Now, he can once again hold an audience in awe, showcasing a poetic talent that has stunned even himself.
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Halima is a qualified doctor who is desperate to put her skills to use. But she is powerless to do so because the UK Government denies her right to be here. To make matters worse, she is estranged from her homeland of Sudan and therefore helpless to even respond to the plight of her own people.
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Walking into a room full of people anxious for help in securing a safe haven from the harm they had fled, Ahamat reflected that his life would surely take a turn for the better. The 21-year-old had travelled weeks to reach the UK, fleeing the violence that had lost him many close friends in Chad.
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Every waking hour Abdolah sees the image of his murdered uncle's face. It is an image that repeatedly reduces him to tears and one that he is constantly reminded of every time he hears of the ongoing massacre of his people.
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The knowing smiles that pass between Anita and Christine are testament to how two people can have a dramatic impact on each other's lives. The pair have only known each a year, yet the bond between them could not be stronger.