Somali Bravanese

"The office is small but the heart is bigger here," said chairman of the group, Sharif Ba-Alawi.

He pointed to certificates on the wall showing that the group is a registered charity and has approved immigration advisers with status from the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

"These are the two assets of which we are proud," added Mr Ba-Alawi, 63, who set up the organisation five years ago.

Photos of the Brava United football team adorn the walls, along with pictures of Brava, Somalia, as it was ten years ago or more - a quiet, historic city on the east coast of Africa.

The Bravanese are an ethnic minority in Somalia, with around 20,000 people, descendants of the Arabian and Persian traders who founded Brava in the tenth century AD.

They have their own language, a Swahili-related dialect, and their own religion, of the Islamic Qadiriyya Sufi order.

Mr Ba-Alawi explained that the Bravanese are traditionally business people, tradesmen and scholars.

Pointing to pictures of a Boeing 707 and airbus, Mr Ba-Alawi explained that he was once a senior air pilot for Somali Airlines and trained junior pilots before he was forced out of Somalia when the civil war erupted in 1990 and the Bravanese were persecuted.

"In Somalia we don't have a recognised government, no ambassadors, no administration. It is a country run by self-styled warlords," he said.

"They would force their way into our houses, assault, rape and murder, steal. And without the means of earning an income, the Bravanese people were starving.

"My sister's husband was killed in Brava trying to run away. Everyone was trying to find a means to get away, by sea, by land, even by foot. It is a tragedy and a catastrophe. An ordeal. When I remember it... I just feel bad really."

Mr Ba-Alawi escaped with his wife and six children on a fishing boat built for 12 but carrying 30 people to Kenya.

They lived in refugee camps in Kenya for eight years before coming to Britain as asylum seekers.

Mr Ba-Alawi said three of his children have since achieved university degrees and three have married.

He established the Waltham Forest Somali Bravanese Action Group to guide people from Brava through the British system by helping them to overcome the language barrier, gain medical help, put their children in school and become fully integrated in British society.

Mr Ba-Alawi said: "As a professional, senior pilot, I had such difficulties to become integrated in the highly advanced, sophisticated society here.

"If I myself experienced such difficulties what about others who do not speak English and do not know how to solve their day-to-day problems?

"This was an inspiration to establish a community office, to assist, help and extend a hand to people."

The charity runs programmes for 375 registered families including supplementary after-school classes helping children with their school work, and volunteers will help people in their daily activities if needed.

A football club for players aged 12 to 16 keeps the young people engaged in something positive, and has been a great success with £9,000 donated by the Football Foundation over the last two years.

Mohammed Haje-Munye, the football team's referee, has been a pillar of support for the team.

A managing committee runs the Bravanese Action Group and the community's chief elder, Omar Sheikh Mohamed, a father of ten and committee member, links families with the management.

He said the office is used to suit the community's needs, and as chief elder he will invited people in to settle their disputes if necessary.

He added: "On the more spiritual side we use our office to establish good understanding and a spirit of good co-operation between people. This is one of the fundamentals for our work."

The group depends on charitable donations and families will offer some money to show their gratitude each year.

To find out more about Brava, Somalia, its people, history and culture, log on to www.albarawi.de.vu. Contact the Waltham Forest Somali Bravanese Action Group at 340 Leyton High Road on 8558 2204.