'Life is tough in Britain,' says Zimbabwean asylum seeker

A Zimbabwean seeking asylum in the United Kingdom says life is hard in Britain where she is not allowed to look for a job.

Ester Nyambi, who sought asylum soon after completing her graduate studies a few years ago, told VOA Studio 7 the money she is receiving per month is not enough to cater for her family.

Nyambi said, "It hasn't been easy because when you are in the asylum system you are not allowed to work and all you have to do is to depend on the allowances that you get from the government and some of us are people that have never been on state benefits.

"It really works on you emotions, that's why at times people really get depressed because you are in a state of limbo… you don't know where you stand and you don't know when your papers will be processed."

Nyambi said the subsidies she is getting from the government is not enough to cater for her child and domestic purposes.

"It's not even enough for you day to day living. Not only does it work on your mental health but economically you start depending on people to help you."

She receives BP72 a week for her and little child.

Nyambi's wrote a thesis at master's level criticizing the government's abuse of resources, including the country's budget, which she argued should be mostly channeled towards the health and education sectors for the benefit of members of the public.

She applied for asylum following fears that she may be victimized back home for criticizing the government.