A SYRIAN refugee living in Andover, whose daughter was saved by Hampshire doctors, has urged locals to give incoming Afghan families a warm welcome.

Maasom Hassan came to the UK with his wife and two children three years ago, having spent eight years in an Iraqi refugee camp after the uprising in Syria.

On their flight to the UK his daughter, Nasrin, fell ill due to a rare heart condition, and needed two operations at University of Southampton Hospital to save her life.

Now living in Andover, Maasom, 25, is seeing history repeat itself for Afghan refugees – and wanted to share his experiences so that communities can support these families.

Speaking through a translator, he said: "I see similarities in what happened to my family and what is happening now for Afghan refugees, but there are ways we can help.

"When we came to the UK it was very tough because we didn’t know which trains or buses to use, or what to get in the supermarkets – so helping them with things like that is very important.

"Many families came to visit us. They brought us authentic food from places we didn’t know about."

From the moment they landed on UK soil, Maasom and his family have been supported by Two Saints and the International Rescue Committee.

More than 150 Afghan refugees are currently living in temporary accommodation across Hampshire, with almost a dozen now in long-term housing.

Maasom says these families must try and stay positive, as he’s learned life has so much more to offer.

He said: "Life in the UK is very beautiful, and Andover is a very peaceful town.

"I still cannot believe that Nasrin is now going to school and learning. For my children to grow up and study here, they’ll have so many opportunities.

"That’s what gives me hope to keep going."

Maasom added that learning English is ‘the most important thing’ and is taking classes every week.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been working with Maasom and his family to get them set up for life in the UK.

The charity helps refugees to get driving licences, GP appointments and find employment.

Emery Igiraneza, programme manager for the IRC, said: "We work very closely with Hampshire County Council to reach out to refugees, no matter where they’re coming from.

"Things have gone well with the Afghan refugees so far, but we still want to reach out to as many people as we can."