A book being launched today features first-hand accounts of 11 Somalis who have settled in Leicester after being forced out of their country by civil war.
The contributors of Somalia to Europe came to England from Somalia via other European countries in the past decade.
Jawaahir Daahir, who co-edited the book, said all of the interviewees had come up against some prejudice since arriving in Leicester but on the whole their experiences were "overwhelmingly positive".
She said: "I think the majority of experiences were positive because of Leicester's multi-culturalism and tolerance.
"Somali adults say they have been able to set up businesses, their children can dream about going to university and the adults have been able to learn.
"People want to be active participants in society and in Leicester they feel they have that opportunity which was not the case in Holland or other countries."
Mrs Daahir, who came to Leicester from Holland in 2000 and is managing director of Somali Development Services, edited an earlier version of the book which was published in Holland in 1998.
She said: "I thought about translating the book to make it more relevant to people here and add the experiences of people in Leicester."
One of the book's aims, said Mrs Daahir, was to educate Somali youngsters in Leicester about the struggles their parents faced.
"We want the youngsters to know what their parents and grandparents experienced."
In the book, some of the younger interviewees describe problems fitting in at schools when they first arrived.
Mrs Daahir said: "They have an understanding too, they've said, 'We moved here in such large numbers and perhaps people felt threatened by that'."
The people whose experiences feature in the book remain anonymous.
One of them, a mother who arrived 10 years ago said: "Since we've been here in Leicester, my children have been surrounded by people of similar backgrounds.
"Their teachers encourage them to do better and expect the best of them."
A 20-year-old man who moved to Leicester from Holland said:
"I've built a new life here and made friends and adjusted to a new way of living.
"I'm content with how my life has turned out and I'm happy we moved."
The book, which is published by Leicester Quaker press, was being launched at DeMontfort University today.
In 2004, there was an estimated 15,000 Somalis in Leicester.
Somalia has experienced conflict since the collapse of its central government in 1991.
Source: www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk
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