Albana and Fatmir Hysenlika

Albana Hysenlika was born in 1978 and grew up in Albania. She came to Bristol in 2002. and found Silai in 2004. Albana initially came to learn English, but became a highly skilled knitting machinist. She has three children with she was interviewed with Fatmir her husband, who strongly supports her attendance at Silai.

Albana Hysenlika:
"I met Hadip in reception and she said to me, "Come have a seat here, you know English? Come on speak," she said to me. I was shy "No, no." I said, "No, I don't know." "Come on, try." She made me a little bit confident, and I thought, I'm going to go. I started to go and I met lots of friends and I found out about more courses, and I thought to go on another course. I started knitting, and after knitting I started as well the general sewing class... I miss that place."

Fatmir Hysenlika:
"To step outside of their little worlds and then shout a little bit, being happy. I think probably that's the best thing Silai is for many women. I mean that's what I think, I don't know what they think. But because I always maintain to myself if people don't integrate and learn to adapt themselves to society, they never going to feel happy and they never going to feel they belong. Silai was like an open window."