A FORMER child refugee will share his heart-rending experiences during an event organised recruit foster carers.

Gulwali Passarlay was just 12 when he escaped war-torn Afghanistan and set out on a journey that took him half way across the world to a new life in Britain.

The author, who documented his experiences in British foster care in his book A Lightless Sky, will speak at an event organised by Darlington Assistance for Refugees (DAR) next month.

The fostering recruitment evening is being held in a bid to encourage people to consider becoming foster parents and to raise awareness of unaccompanied refugee children and their plight.

Organiser Fran Wood said: “The haunting images of Alan Kurdi on a Turkish beach help us to remember that there are still thousands of refugee children in Europe who need sanctuary and the security of a loving home.

“It has been almost a year since the Calais Jungle was demolished and the UK welcomed 750 child refugees, yet the work of Safe Passage in France with child refugees shows many children are still stuck on their own and finding it even more difficult to access safe and legal routes to join family.

“Some are sleeping rough, subject to police violence and vulnerable to traffickers.”

A recent report from the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales suggest there are currently 400 unaccompanied child refugees at risk in France.

In response, DAR are now calling on Darlington’s council to accept a small number of the unaccompanied children and are holding the upcoming event to ensure there are enough foster families around the town to meet current and future demand.

Ms Wood said: “We know there is already a desperate need for foster carers and want to increase their number to ensure current local need can be met.

"We would also like to create the potential for meeting the needs of these refugee children.”

The event will be attended by MP Jenny Chapman, family placement workers and existing foster carers, some of whom are already fostering unaccompanied children.

Ms Chapman said “I’d like to thank DAR for the way they've stepped up to support refugees with generosity, kindness and careful organisation.

“It is impossible to imagine the trauma endured by those fleeing wars on the edge of Europe and it’s good to see Darlington doing its bit.”

The fostering recruitment event will be held at Mangobean, at the Feethams leisure complex, from 7pm on Thursday, November 2.