FACILITATOR:
Henry in the Athlone trailer park that houses asylum seekers
The story of Elizabeth Odunsi and Iyabo Nwanze begins like the grim familiar tale of illegal immigrants anywhere. Fleeing religious violence, the two mothers followed a path taken by thousands of other Nigerians, and in 2001 sought refuge in Ireland with their six children. They lived on government rations in a trailer park built to house refugees on the outskirts of Athlone, a sleepy midlands town, while awaiting a verdict on their asylum applications. Community worker Salome Mbugua Henry describes the scene as "kind of like an open prison system." The two women took vocational classes and made Irish friends. But...
