My name is Noura and I am 21, I come from Iraq. I left Iraq because ISIS took my father and we had to pay a lot of money so that he was released. Afterwards, we were terrified and we fled the country. I am currently staying for some time in Tabanovce transit centre in Macedonia, but I have started a procedure to go back to Iraq.

The reason why I will go back to Iraq is because the situation there, at least in the region where I will go back, is calmer and safer from what I know for now. Another major thing is because I really want to continue helping refugees there. I helped a lot of refugees here before as a Red Cross volunteer, and I was also volunteering with other organizations here on the field. But there are many refugees in Iraq as well and I believe I would be more needed there. I speak 4 languages fluently and I have an intermediate level of 3 other languages. I am Kurdish, so being one of the few people with Kurdish-English combination is quite useful.

My journey was plagued with many challenges. I experienced unconceivable things. In Eidomeni for example, a Syrian woman was about to give birth. I helped her give birth to her baby with my own bare hands out in the open field. I didn’t have experience with delivering a baby before, but luckily, everything went well. I was sleeping in a sleeping bag there and shaking in the cold. There wasn’t enough space in the tents for all. I didn’t think that I would cross into Macedonia and I was overjoyed when I was allowed to cross the border.

The people here are every kind to me, both Macedonians and Albanians. To be frank, they never made me feel like I am a refugee. I really didn’t feel like a refugee in Macedonia. When we were on the field with the aid workers who were Syrian, Macedonian, Albanian – it felt like we are part of one big family trying to assist other people.  But now it is time to go back to my region.

My message to everyone would be not to judge a book by its covers. The refugees escape their countries because of wars, because of ISIS, not because they choose to leave. Us, people, we need to help each other. We are humans. We need to stop thinking about religions, the skin colour or country of the person we are trying to help, because we are all humans. 

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

?? ?? ?????????? ???? ??????? ?? ??????????

?? ????? ????, ???? 21 ?????? ? ??? ?? ????. ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????a ????? ?? ? ??????? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????????. ?????, ????? ????????? ? ????????? ?? ???????. ?? ???????? ??????????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??????????? ??????? “?????????” ?? ??????????, ?? ???? ????????? ??o?????? ?? ??????? ?? ????.

????????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ? ??????? ??????????? ????, ????? ?? ???????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????, ? ??????? ? ?????????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????. ???? ????? ?????? ? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ????????? ????. K??? ???????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ??????, ? ???? ???? ?????????? ? ?? ????? ??????????? ???? ?? ?????. ?? ??? ????? ??????? ? ?? ???? ? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ???????? ????. ????? ???????? 4 ?????? ? ???? ?????? ????????? ?? ???? 3 ????? ??????. ??? ??? ??????, ?? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ??????? ??????????? ?? ???????? ? ??????? ? ????? ???????.

?? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ??????????. ??????? ??? ??????????? ??????. ?? ??????? ?? ??????, ???? ??????? ???? ???? ????????. ??? ? ???????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ???????? ????. ????? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????????, ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?????? ?????. ???? ????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ? ?? ?????? ?? ????. ?????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ????. ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????????? ? ??? ????????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ???????? ?????????.

?????? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????, ? ??????????? ? ?????????. ???????, ??????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ?????????? ???? ???????. ????????? ?? ?? ?????????? ???? ??????? ?? ??????????. ???? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ??????????? ????????? ??? ??? ???????, ?????????, ??????? – ?? ?????????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ????????? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ????. ?? ???? ? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ??????.

?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ????????. ????????? ?????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ???????, ?????? ????, ?? ?? ???????? ?????. ???, ??????, ???? ?? ?? ???????? ???? ?? ????. ???? ???. ???? ?? ?????????? ?? ???????????? ?? ???????, ???? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ?????????, ??????? ???? ??? ????.

???????? ? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??????????”. ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? “ ? ??????????? ?? German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????  ?? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

                                                     The Journey of One Syrian Woman

My name is Agrin, I am 25 years old and I am from Syria. I left my country together with my husband because of the war. My husband had a store in Syria and he was earning well, our financial situation was good there. But his store got bombed and part of my university was bombed as well. At that time, I had just finished my third year at university (I was studying Arabic). So this is when we decided to leave.

The journey was not easy at all, we went to Turkey first and then to Greece. Coming to Greece was especially difficult, the first attempt failed because we were with a lot of other people and the boat was extremely small, the weather was extremely windy and we thought we were about to drown in the sea. So we went back to Turkey. After some time, we tried again and this time, we managed to reach Greece. Unfortunately, at that point, the borders were getting closed, so we got stuck in Eidomeni at the border with Macedonia. I was in the fourth month of my pregnancy then and we spent around four months in Greece. Living in a small tent in Eidomeni was very challenging. At times it was too rainy, too sunny – and all we had was a small tent…There were so many people stuck in Eidomeni, it wasn’t even safe to stay there, especially for a pregnant woman. When we finally managed to cross into Macedonia, we went to the camp in Gevgelija and registered there. We stayed there for 10 months. I gave birth to my baby in Macedonia, only after a week we had crossed into Macedonia. In the camp we had a room, but we shared it with another family, so life with our small baby and another family in one room was also quite challenging. We decided to seek asylum in Macedonia, but after a month of waiting, we were afraid that we will never be given the asylum. So we decided to go back to Greece, where we legally applied for asylum in the EU through the relocation system. The relocation system only works in countries which are part of the European Union and you don’t choose the country where you will be sent. After six months of waiting, we were finally sent to France where we got a refugee status.

I am thankful to Macedonians who were either working or volunteering in the camp in Gevgelija, because of everything they did. Even when they couldn’t do something more, they gave us warmth and smiles and despite the fact that most of our journey is burdened with bad memories, we will keep these good memories as well. I still keep in touch with some of these Macedonians, they sometimes ask how I am doing, I send them photos of our life in France, of my baby and they are happy. I am not angry at Macedonia for not opening the borders, because I know that this was not in the hands of Macedonia. Instead, I decide to keep the good memories – all the friendships we made.

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

                                                ?????????? ?? ???? ???????

?? ????? ?????, ???? 25 ?????? ? ?????? ?? ??????. ?? ???????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ???????? ?????? ???????. ????? ?????? ????? ?????????? ?? ?????? ? ???????????? ?????, ?????? ?????????? ????????? ???? ????? ????. ?? ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????????? ? ??? ?? ????? ??????????? ???? ???????????, ???? ????. ??????? ??????? ????? ?????? ????? (???????? ??????? ?????). ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????????.

?????????? ?? ???? ??????? ?????, ???? ???????? ?? ??????? ? ????? ?? ??????. ?? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ?????, ?????? ???? ???? ????????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ????, ? ??????? ???? ????????? ???, ??????? ????????? ????????? ? ???????? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ??????. ?? ?? ???????? ?? ???????. ?? ????? ?????, ?? ???????? ???????? ? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ???????? ?? ??????. ?? ???, ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ?? ????????, ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ?? ????????? ?? ??????????.  ??? ??? ?? ????????? ????? ?? ?????????? ?????. ????????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????. ??????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ???????. ????????? ???? ???????? ?????????, ???????? ??????? – ? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ??? ?????…????? ????? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ???????, ?? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? ????, ??????? ?? ??????? ????. ???? ??????? ???????? ?? ??????? ?? ??????????, ???????? ?? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ?? ?????????????. ???? ????????? ????? ??????. ?? ??????? ?? ??????????, ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ????????????. ?? ?????? ?????? ????, ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ?????????, ?? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ? ???? ???? ????? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ???????. ??????? ?? ???????? ???? ?? ??????????, ?? ?? ???? ????? ??????, ?? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????. ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ??????, ???? ??? ??????? ??????????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ??????????. ???????? ?? ?????????? ??????????? ???? ?? ?????-?????? ?? ?? ? ?? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ?? ????? ??????. ?? ???? ?????? ??????, ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ???????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ???????.

?????????? ??? ?? ??????????? ??? ??????? ? ?????????? ?? ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ??? ??????. ???? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ??????, ?? ????? ??????? ? ????????, ? ?????? ??? ??? ?????????? ??? ?? ?????? ???????? ? ????????? ?? ???? ???????, ?? ?? ?????? ? ??????? ???????. ?? ???? ???????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????????, ????????? ?? ????????? ???? ???, ?? ?????? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ????????, ?? ????? ???? ? ?????? ??. ?? ??? ? ???? ?? ?????????? ?????? ??? ??? ????????? ??????? ?????????, ??????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??????????. ??????? ???, ????????? ?? ?? ????? ??????? ??????? – ???? ?????????????? ??? ?? ?????????.

???????? ? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??????????”. ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? “ ? ??????????? ?? German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????  ?? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

My name is Maryam and I’m from Afghanistan. Life for many women in Afghanistan is difficult because of cultural and social norms, which is why I left. At the age of 15, my parents married me off to a man who was 37. I didn’t love him, but my parents said: “My daughter, he is rich, he will take care of you. You have to marry him.” I had no choice or any say in it.

However, he didn’t take care of me. He was certainly rich and I was “taken care of” in the sense that I had food and a roof over my head, but he was physically abusive to me. I was only 15 at that point. After some time, I met another man in whom I fell in love and ran away with him. My family cut me off, and so did my community. I haven’t spoken to them for years now. I was afraid of my ex-husband and I had nobody to turn to – so my partner and I decided to leave Afghanistan hoping to find a place where we are accepted.

I have two babies from my second partner, one was born in a camp in Greece and the other one was born in a camp in Serbia. Life with my second partner has turned into hell unfortunately. Whether it was the frustration of constantly living in camps for years, or the general hardship of life as refugees, he also started physically abusing me. I don’t have education and he is not supportive of me getting any. Without education, I cannot get a job. Without a job, I cannot leave him as I am financially dependent on him.

Initially, we wanted to go to Germany, because I know that our human rights are guaranteed there. But the borders are closed. So here I am, back to Macedonia and planning to go back to Greece. Even though the conditions here are challenging sometimes, the Macedonians that I met have treated me very kindly. Tabanovce is a peaceful and calming place, but I intend to go back to Greece and seek asylum there, because it is an EU country and we will be better protected there. I ran away to find a safe place where I will be accepted. My life has been very difficult on so many levels, but my daughters are what keeps me going…I am grateful for them as a gift in my life. I want to give them the life I never had, I want to provide them with education. I want them to have a normal childhood. They are what gives me the strength to continue.

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

?????? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ??????????

?? ????? ??????? ? ?????? ?? ??????????. ??????? ?? ?????????? ? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ? ????????????? ?????, ????? ?????? ??? ? ?? ???????. ???? ???? 15 ??????, ????? ???????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ????? 37 ??????. ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?????????? ?? ?????: ,,?????, ????? ?, ?? ?? ????? ?? ????. ????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ????.” ????? ??????? ????? ?? ???.

?? ??? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ????. ??????, ???? ????? ? “??? ????????” ?? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ? ???? ??? ?????, ?? ??? ???? ??????? ??? ????. ????? ???? ???? 15 ??????. ?? ????? ?????, ???????? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ? ???????? ?? ????. ????? ????????? ??????? ??????? ?? ????, ???? ? ?????? ????????. ???? ?? ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ???. ?? ?????? ?? ??????????? ?????? ? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??????? – ?? ????, ????? ??????? ? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?????????? ? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?????????.

???? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???????, ?????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??????, ? ??????? ??  ???? ?? ???? ?? ??????. ?? ???, ??????? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ????? ???????. ???? ?????? ????????????? ?? ????????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????, ??????? ????? ???? ???????, ? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ????. ????? ??????????? ? ??? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???????????. ??? ???????????, ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????. ??? ??????, ?? ????? ?? ?? ????????, ?????? ??? ??? ?????????? ??????? ?? ????.

???????, ??????? ?? ????? ?? ?????????., ????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ?? ????????????? ????. ?? ????????? ?? ?????????. ?? ??? ??, ????? ?? ?????????? ? ???????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ??????. ? ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ?????????, ??????????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ????. ????????? ? ????? ?????, ?? ???????, ?? ???????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ? ?? ????? ???? ????, ?????? ??? ??? ? ?? ????? ? ?? ???? ???????? ??????? ????. ???????? ?? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?????????. ????? ????? ? ????? ?? ????? ???????, ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ?????????…?????????? ??? ??? ?? ????, ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????. ????? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ????, ????? ?? ?? ????????? ???????????. ????? ?? ????? ???????? ???????. ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????????.

???????? ? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??????????”. ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? “ ? ??????????? ?? German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????  ?? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

Running for one’s life: Perseverance of a Kurdish refugee

My name is Ali and I am 29 years old. I come from Kurdistan, a region in Iraq. I left my country 8 months ago, I transited through Jordan and then to Turkey, where I stayed for almost a month and 20 days. We faced many problems, when the police came, sometimes they hit people, but usually they didn’t touch the families, children, women or disabled people.

I was caught around 8 times by the police, 4 times at the Turkish border and 4 times at the Greek border. The jail was not a jail, it is like an animals’ room. One biscuit per day, one juice per day. Or if they give bread, the bread is very hard or expired. Also at the Greek borders, we faced the same thing. When they caught us, they threw everything, all the phones inside the water. One thing I will never forget, happened in Greece.  We were 122 people, we crossed the water and when the police came, everyone ran away. Only 20 people were caught, out of whom 4 women. The commander said: “Please don’t look at us, face the wall.” And I knew that they were touching the women, because afterwards, one woman told me. When her husband asked her what they did to her, she said they slapped her bottom and groped her breasts….That was very bad….Moreover, at the Greek borders, we waited with 80 people in one room….We could not sit, you had to stand…They closed the door and kept it shut for 24 hours…The women could not go to the bathroom, they had to use a scarf for that…They had to do this in front of the police and all the boys that were there…That’s why all the women had to either hold it or…you know…Also, there were very small children, a small girl was crying a lot, for milk…So I asked the commander to bring milk, but they didn’t respond…Since I speak good English, I was the English translator for everyone there…So I could witness and hear all the issues….

One woman had cancer and diabetes, she could not sit there in the crowded place, but when I asked the commander (she also showed him the medical documents), he said: “She is lying. I don’t care about the medical documents, maybe she got them from a relative who is a doctor, maybe the documents are fake, I don’t understand Kurdish language.” I said to him that I swear I am translating the Kurdish medical documents correctly into English. We really suffered a lot in prison, on both the Turkish and Greek side…I remember one family with 2 parents and 3 children from Halabja, Kurdistan. They had golden accessories (bracelets, necklace etc.). The Greek commander checked the staff and took the gold. They said they would give back the golden accessories once they are released. But they never did. That’s all they had, so the family didn’t have any money left and they asked to be deported to their homeland.

We went to the jungle with the smuggler in Greece, we were 40 people. The smuggler came and took us to a basement in Thessaloniki…In order to get there, we were put in the trunk of a very small car, we were 5 people, 3 women and 2 men, squeezed in, unable to move our hands or breathe…The car drove very fast, that was very bad. After one week, I still felt pain.

We stayed there for 11 hours, we took a shower, cleaned our clothes, ate and then we were bought tickets. At 3 am, we went to the train station in Thessaloniki and went to Athens. I stayed there for 3 months to wait for a fake passport. I was caught by the police and taken to jail. There was no possibility to continue. I then went to an island. It was again impossible to continue onwards, even after several attempts. Once they caught us in a truck and beat us up really bad. My face was so bloody. I didn’t dare go out in the daytime, because my face was so bad and everyone knew that I was caught and beaten up by the police. So I only dared go to the store at night for some time. After that, I went back to Athens and tried to go through Albania.

We were 6 people with 2 smugglers. We were put in something like a house without windows or anything, we were locked there. We were told to wait until it’s dark to enter Albania. When night came, 3 men came to the room and asked for money. One boy didn’t have money and they said: “If you don’t have money, you will give us your kidney.” They thought the boy was lying. They were afraid that he had called the police. They took him somewhere, to another room. When the boy came back, he was terrified. He told us he was taken to a room and put on a table with a knife, scissors, a mask and there was blood everywhere. After that, the boy told us he heard the police sirens and everyone ran away. So luckily, they didn’t take anybody’s organs, the boy was intact. We started running, we didn’t know where we were going, we were just running and running. We came across a Greek commander and officers, they were very friendly honestly, they gave us food and water and we went back to Thessaloniki, Greece.

Another attempt followed, through Bulgaria. This time we were 4 guys and a family with an 18-year old daughter, so 7, 8 people in total. We were taken to the jungle by car. We didn’t know the places. Whenever I asked the smuggler: “Where are we?” They would always reply: “Please don’t speak, don’t speak, shhhh…” Afterwards, we were told to just walk. We were left in the jungle, it was very cold, it was about to rain. We were caught by the Bulgarian police. They asked us: “Why did you come to our country? This country is for us, not for you; you have your country.”
We remained silent. They slapped and kicked us very badly. Then they asked for money, but we didn’t give them any, because we only had money for the journey. They took a wooden stick and threatened us. So we gave them all the money we had. Then they asked for money from the family.
They said to the woman: “You have money in your pants. Take off your pants and your shorts.” They found some euros there. That’s when the commander got very angry. “I told you not to lie, I will hurt your family.” The husband yelled at them in Kurdish language not to act like that. They slapped him and kicked him. The girl (their daughter) was crying. They took off all the clothes from the daughter, but they didn’t find any money in her. “If you have something else, give it to us. Otherwise, I will rape your wife and daughter.” They took them some 40 meters away, not too far. The 2 women screamed and we could tell they were raping them. When they returned, they couldn’t stop crying. Then we were sent back to Athens and the family didn’t go out at all, they just asked to be deported. I will never forget this. For these women, the bad experience will haunt them. Because in my culture in Kurdistan, if a woman was raped, nobody will marry her.

So there I was, in Athens. I wanted to go back to my country, because I had seen enough and I had suffered enough. My brother called me and he said: “Please brother, continue, continue, they didn’t rape you, they didn’t touch you, they didn’t do anything to you. You are a man, nobody can do anything to you.”
 

I stayed in Athens for 1 month and then I went to Thessaloniki. We went to a hotel with 6 other people close to the border, we managed to cross the Greek-Macedonian border and walked through mountains and a jungle. We were put in a house where they asked us for money. Then we were taken to Preshevo and we were left there in the jungle.
After 300 meters we saw the Serbian police and asked for help from them, they were nice but they asked us for official documents. We didn’t have any, so they returned us at the Serbian-Macedonian border. It is 7 nights that I am here in Tabanovce camp, thank God I am ok now, Macedonian people are the most lovable people I have met in my life, to be honest….

Throughout all my journey, the most positive thing was patience. To persevere patiently while being with no food or water in the jungle, in the cold places in the night….It is the “best” experience, because wherever I go, I can survive, I can walk, I can run, I can hide, I can escape…I can do anything. Now I am a strong person. I don’t care about the weather. Because at the Macedonian-Serbian border, we stayed wet in the snow, it was minus 8 degree Celsius and I persevered….

I really miss my family, especially my mother. Before leaving, she told me:  “My son, I don’t need your money, just please be safe and please come back before I die.” So I hope that one day, when I go back to my country, my mom is alive, not dead. She is 58 years old. My father was killed by Saddam’s regime, in 1991. Of course, I miss a lot of things, my brother, my friends, my town….But I ran for my life, that’s why I left. I suffered all the way, not for earning money, but because I ran for my life. I just want to have a normal life, like other people.

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

                                   ?? ??????? ?? ?????: ??????????? ?? ???? ???? ???????

?? ????? ??? ? ???? 29 ??????. ?????? ?? ?????????, ?????? ?? ????. ?? ???????? ??????? ????? ???? 8 ??????, ??????????? ????? ?????? ? ????? ???????, ???? ??????? ????? ????? ? 20 ????.  ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ????????, ??????? ?? ?????? ??????, ?? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ???????????, ??????, ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ???????????.

????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????????, ?????? ???? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ?????? ???? ?? ??????? ???????. ???????? ?? ???? ??????, ???? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???????. ???? ???????? ?? ???, ???? ??? ?? ???.  ??????? ?????? ???, ??? ? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ???. ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ??????. ???? ?? ??????, ?????? ?? ??? ??????, ???? ???????? ?? ?????? ?? ??????. ??? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??????, ???? ?? ?? ????????? ???????. ????? 122 ????, ?? ?????????? ?????? ? ???? ????? ??????????, ???? ???????. ???? 20 ???? ??? ??????, ?? ??? 4 ??? ????. ?????????? ????: ,,?? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ???, ??????? ?? ??? ?????.” ????? ???? ?? ??????? ??????, ??????? ?????, ???? ???? ?? ????. ???? ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? `? ?????????, ??? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???????? ? `? ?? ???????? ???????….??? ???? ????? ????…???? ????, ?? ??????? ???????, ??????? ?? 80 ????, ???? ?? ???? ????…?? ??????? ?? ???????, ?????? ?? ??????…?? ????????? ??????? ? ?? ????? ????????? 24 ????….?????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??-??, ????? ?? ?? ???????? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????….?????? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ??????????? ? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??????…????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ????? ???…??????…???? ????, ????? ????? ???? ????, ???? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ?????….?? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?? ?????? ?????, ?? ?? ?? ????????…. ?????? ??? ??? ????? ???????? ????????, ??? ??? ?????????? ?? ???? ????….?? ????? ?? ?? ?????????? ? ??????? ???? ????????….

???? ???? ????? ??? ? ?????????, ?? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ???????? ?? ????, ?? ???? ?? ??????? ?????????? (??? ?? ?? ?????? ? ????????? ?????????? ?????????), ??? ????: ,,????. ?? ?? ? ????? ?? ???????????? ?????????, ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?????? ? ?????, ?????? ??????????? ?? ?????, ?? ?? ???????? ????????? ?????.” ?? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ?????????…????????? ????????? ????? ?? ????????, ? ?? ???????? ? ?? ??????? ??????…?? ??????? ?? ???? ?????????, ?????? ???????? ? 3 ???? ?? ???????, ?????????. ???? ?????? ????? (????????, ?????? ???.) ??????? ???????? ?? ?? ??????? ???????? ? ?? ???? ???????. ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?????????. ?? ??????? ?? ?? ????????? ???. ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???????????, ????? ??????? ????, ?? ????? ???? ?? ??????????, ??????????? ?????? ?? ???? ??????????? ?? ??????? ?????.

???????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? ?? ??????, ????? 40 ????. ?????????? ????? ? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????…?? ?? ???????? ?? ????, ?? ??????? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ????, ????? 5 ???? ??????, 3 ???? ? ??? ????, ??????????, ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??????? ?????? , ???? ?? ??????…?????? ?????? ????? ????, ???? ????? ????…?? ???? ??????, ??’ ???? ?????????? ?????.

?? ???????? ????????? 11 ????, ?? ???????????, ?? ?? ?????????? ????????, ??????? ? ????? ?? ?????? ??????. ?? 3 ????? ??????, ???????? ?? ???????????? ??????? ?? ????? ? ????? ?? ?????, ???? ??????? 3 ?????? ??????? ????? ?????. ?? ?? ???? ???????? ? ?? ?????? ?? ??????. ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ???????? ?? ??????????. ???? ?????? ?? ???? ??????. ???????? ???? ?????????? ?? ?? ???????? ?? ??????????, ???? ? ?? ??????? ?????. ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ? ?? ???????? ????? ????. ?????? ?? ???? ????? ??????. ?? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? ????? ?? ?????, ??????? ?????? ?? ?????????  ????????? ???? ? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?? ????????? ??????????. ????? ????? ?????, ?? ????????? ?? ???? ?? ?????????? ???? ???????. ?????, ?? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ????????.

????? 6 ???? ?? ?????? ?????????. ?? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???????, ??? ?????, ?? ????????? ????. ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ????????. ???? ?? ??????, ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ? ?? ??????? ????. ???? ?????, ??? ???? ?? ???, ?????? ???? ? ?? ?????: ,,??? ????? ????, ?? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ??????”. ?????? ???? ??????? ????. ?? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ??????????. ?? ??????? ??????, ?? ????? ????. ???? ??????? ?? ?????, ???? ??????????. ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ???, ?????? ? ?????, ? ???? ????? ??? ????????. ?????, ??????? ?? ???? ???? ???????? ????????? ?????? ? ???? ???????. ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ?????, ??????? ???? ?????????. ???????? ?? ??????, ?? ??????? ???? ?????, ???? ??????? ? ???????. ????????? ????? ???????? ? ?????????, ??? ????? ??????????? ????????? ???????, ?? ????? ????? ? ???? ? ?? ???????? ?? ?????, ?? ??????.

??????? ???? ???? ????, ????? ????????. ???? ??? ????? 4 ????? ? ???? ????????? ?? 18-??????? ?????, ????? 7,8 ???? ????????. ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ????. ?? ?? ??????? ???????. ???? ? ?? ?? ?????? ??????????: ,,???? ????”, ?? ?????????: ,,?? ????? ?? ??????????, ?? ??????????, ?????…” ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ???. ?? ???????? ?? ????????, ???? ????? ???????, ?????? ????????? ?? ????. ?? ???? ?????????? ????????. ?? ??????: ,,????? ???????? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ? ?? ???, ?? ?? ???; ??? ?? ????? ???? ?????.” ????????. ?? ?????? ????????? ? ?? ?????? ?????. ?? ??????? ????, ?? ?? ?? ???????, ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ?????. ????? ????? ???? ? ?? ?? ????????. ?? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??????. ??????? ???? ?? ??????????? ?????? ???? ?? ???. `? ????? ?? ??????: ,,???? ???? ?? ???????????. ??????? ?? ??????????? ? ??????? ??????”. ???? ?????? ??????? ????. ????? ?????????? ?? ??????? ?????. ,,?? ????? ?? ?? ??????, ?? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????????.” ????????? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???????, ?? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????????? ????. ?? ?????? ????????? ? ?? ???????. ????????? (??????? ?????) ???????. ?? ???????? ??????? ? ???, ?? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ??? ???. ,,??? ???? ???? ?????, ??? ?? ??. ????? ?? ?? ??????? ??????? ???? ? ??????? ?????.” ?? ??????? ????? 40 ????? ????????, ?? ????? ??????. ????? ???? ????? ????? ? ??????? ???? ?? ????????. ???? ?? ???????, ?? ??????????? ?? ??????. ????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ? ??????????? ??????? ?? ??????????, ???? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??????????? ????. ??????? ???? ?? ?? ????????? ???. ?????? ???????? ?? ?? ????????? ???? ????. ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????????, ??????? ?????? ???? ? ????????, ????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???.

?? ????, ???????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????. ????? ?? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????, ????? ??? ??????? ????? ? ??????? ???????. ???? ?? ?? ?? ???? ? ?? ????: ,,?? ????? ?????, ????????, ????????, ?? ?? ??????? ????, ?? ?? ?????? ????, ????? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ????. ?? ?? ???, ????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????????.”

??????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ? ????? ?????? ?? ?????. ???????? ?? ????? ?? 6 ????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ?????????, ???????? ?? ?? ????????? ?????-???????????? ??????? ? ?????? ??? ??????? ? ??? ??????. ?? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ????. ????? ?? ??????? ?? ??????? ? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ????????. ?? 300 ?????, ?? ??????? ???????? ???????? ? ????????? ????? ?? ???, ??? ????????, ?? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?????????. ??????? ?????????? ?????????, ?? ?? ??????? ?? ??????-???????????? ???????. ???? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????????, ???? ????, ????? ??? ????…???????, ??????????? ?? ?????????????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?????????? ?? ????? ?????….

?? ????? ?? ????? ????????, ?????????????? ????? ???? ?????????. ???????? ?? ???????, ?????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ???? ?? ????????, ?? ????????? ????? ?? ?????….??? ? “?????????? “ ????????, ??????? ???? ? ?? ????, ????? ?? ?????????, ????? ?? ????, ????? ?? ?????, ????? ?? ?? ????????, ?? ???????….????? ?? ?? ????????. ???? ??? ????? ???????. ?? ?? ? ????? ?? ???????. ??????? ? ?? ??????????-???????? ???????, ????????? ????????? ?? ??????, ???? ????? ???? ??????? ?????????? ? ???????….

????????? ?? ????????? ????? ?????????, ??????? ????? ??. ???? ?? ???????, ??? ?? ????: ,,????, ?? ?? ??????? ?????? ????, ???? ?? ????? ???? ???????? ? ?? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????.” ????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ???, ???? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????, ????? ?? ??’ ???? ?? ???? ????, ???? ?? ???? ??????. ??? ??? 58 ??????. ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?? 1991. ??????, ?? ??????????? ????? ??????, ???? ??, ???????????, ????? ????…?? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ???????, ????? ???????. ????? ??????? ??? ??????????, ?? ?? ?? ????????? ????, ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ???????. ???? ????? ?? ???? ???????? ?????, ???? ??????? ????.

???????? ? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??????????”. ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? “ ? ??????????? ?? German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????  ?? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

In Search of a Normal Life: Personal Story of a Macedonian Migrant Woman

My name is Anastasija, I am 26 years old and I come from Skopje, Macedonia.
After I graduated, I spent 7 months doing a translation internship in Skopje. However, there was no possibility for employment afterwards. I tried to find a job for a few months, but to no avail.

That is when I found out about the EVS program (European Voluntary Service). It is a program that provides a multitude of volunteering opportunities for young people to become active and improve their society and skills by volunteering in another country. I read many volunteering stories of youngsters who volunteered through this program and gained invaluable experience, so I was inspired to apply. I got accepted into a 1-year volunteering project at an organization in France. My tasks comprised helping children and youth who have a high school dropout, so I was mostly helping them with writing homework, school activities etc.

In addition to finding this volunteering opportunity as a great way of giving back to society, this was an exciting opportunity for me to go somewhere and meet people from other cultures, as well as learn French. As most volunteers were coming from diverse countries, I had the opportunity to meet and befriend young people from Armenia, Cyprus, Germany etc. This is how I got to learnt that there are many common things shared between Macedonians and people from different countries, the most interesting thing was maybe learning that sarma (grape leaves rolled around a filling of minced meat and rice) was a common dish in Armenia, as well! Aside from these migrant young people, I met many African migrants also. It was interesting to learn about their cultural practices, such as the wonderful kizomba dance.

In comparison to Skopje, the community I was placed in was a small-scale one, so I got to experience a real sense of community life, I even got involved in organizing local festivities with the locals so as to strengthen the community lifestyle. It was however not easy initially to get around in a completely new society, but since I learnt the language quite quickly, I was well-integrated and accepted by the locals.

The ngo where I was volunteering even offered me a job after the end of my volunteering, to continue doing the same and helping youngsters. But obtaining the work-related documents (work visa and similar) was a very difficult process. Even though everything was in accordance with the official procedures, I had to wait for 7 months to obtain the required documents. I constantly lived in fear, as I didn’t have the documents – this is how I experienced something similar to what refugees and migrants experience when they are “paperless”. In the end, I did get the work permit and was overjoyed.

When the project ended, I went back to Macedonia, but re-integration was not so easy at first. Having acquired experience in the youth ngo sector abroad, I knew I wanted to continue working in the ngo sector in Macedonia as well. After 3 months, I started working at a local youth ngo and honestly, I am happy to have found a fulfilling job in Macedonia, as well.

Many refugees and migrants have transited through Macedonia in recent years fleeing wars, conflict and searching for a normal life. I think all people who leave their countries to migrate are doing so because of a search for a safer and fulfilling life, life with dignity. Macedonians are not an exception. People who migrate from one EU country to another EU country are not an exception either, to cite one example, Spanish people who migrate to Sweden – they are also migrants. I believe Macedonians have shown solidarity with refugees who were going through Macedonia and I believe we can do even more. In Macedonia, we have had many instances with Macedonians being uprooted from their homes, during the Skopje earthquake, the recent Skopje floods, and of course, the many cases of young Macedonians especially leaving their homes in search of job security…We can and should certainly find the empathy within us to relate to the harsh experience refugees and migrants are going though.

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

?? ??????? ?? ???????? ?????: ??????? ???????? ?? ????????? ?????????

?? ????? ??????????. ???? 26 ?????? ? ??? ?? ??????, ??????????.
?????? ??????????, ??? ???????????? 7 ?????? ?? ??????. ???????, ?????? ??????? ?? ??????????? ???????. ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ??????  ??????? ??????, ?? ??????????.

????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????????? (???????? ??????????? ??????). ??? ? ???????? ???? ?????????? ??????? ??????????? ???????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ? ?? ?? ???????? ??????? ????????? ? ??????? ????? ??????????? ?? ????? ?????. ???????? ????? ??????????? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ??????????? ????? ???? ???????? ? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ????????, ?? ??? ??????????? ?? ?? ????????. ?? ??????? ?? ????-??????? ?????? ?? ???????????? ?? ????????. ????? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ????????, ?? ???????? ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ????????? ??????, ?????????? ?????????? ???.

???? ??????????? ??????? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ?? ????????? ??? ???????????, ?? ???? ????, ? ?????????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ???????, ???? ? ?? ?????? ?????????. ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????, ???? ??????? ?? ?? ????????? ? ??????????? ?? ????? ?? ????????, ?????, ????????? ???. ?? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????, ???????????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ??????? ? ????? ?????? ?? ???????? ???? ????! ?????? ???? ????? ????????, ??????? ? ????? ???????? ?? ??????. ????????? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ??????? ???????? ????????, ???? ??????????? ???? ???????.

?? ???????? ?? ??????, ?????????? ???? ??? ???????? ???? ???????, ?? ??????? ????????? ????? ?? ????????, ???? ? ?? ??????? ?? ???????????? ??????? ???????? ?? ????????? ????????? ?? ?? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ??????????. ??????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ???? ?????????, ?? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ??????? ???????? ????, ????? ?? ?????????? ? ??? ????? ????????? ?? ????????? ?????????.

??????????? ?? ??????? ?????????? ???? ? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????????? ????????, ?? ????????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???????. ?? ?????????? ?? ????????? ????????? (??????? ???? ? ??????) ???? ????? ????? ??????. ???? ?? ???? ?? ?????????? ?? ???????????? ?????????, ????? ?? ????? 7 ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?????????. ????????? ?????? ?? ?????, ??????? ????? ????????? – ?? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ? ?????????? ?? ?????????? ???? ??? ?? “???????????????”. ?? ????, ?? ????? ????????? ??????? ? ??? ?????????.

???? ?????? ????????, ?? ?????? ?? ??????????, ?? ??-????????????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???????. ?????? ???????? ???????? ?? ??????????? ?????? ?? ?????????, ????? ???? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ??????? ?? ??????????? ?????? ? ?? ??????????. ?? 3 ??????, ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ??????? ????????? ???????????? ? ???????, ?????? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ??????????, ???? ????.

????? ??????? ? ???????? ??????????? ??? ?????????? ?? ?????????? ??????, ??????? ?? ?????, ????????? ? ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ?????. ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????????? ?????? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ????????? ?????, ????? ??? ?? ?? ?????????, ???????????? ?????. ??????????? ?? ?? ????????. ?????? ??? ????????? ?? ???? ?????-?????? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?????-?????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????????, ?? ??????, ?????? ??? ????????? ?? ??????? – ? ??? ?? ????????. ?????? ???? ??????????? ??????? ??????????? ?? ????????? ??? ????????? ??? ?????????? ? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ????????? ???? ??????. ?? ?????????? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ??????????? ???? “?????????” ?? ?????? ??????, ??? ??????????? ?? ??????, ??? ????????????? ??????? ?? ?????? ? ???????, ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ????????? ?? ????????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ??????…?????? ? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ???????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?????????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??? ?????????? ????????? ? ??????????.

???????? ? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??????????”. ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? “ ? ??????????? ?? German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????  ?? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

My name is Erlin; I am a 29-year-old woman from Macedonia who left my country of origin to achieve my professional goals. After acquiring my MA abroad, I came back to my country with the aim of starting my professional career and contributing to my society. My vigor and willingness to contribute were stifled soon after my arrival as I faced the difficulty of entering the job market. Six months of continuous job-hunting later, I was recruited. It wasn’t the career I had wished for, but I was told I should be happy that I have a job. I spent two years in my country. I learned and grew a lot professionally, but throughout it all, I felt that I shouldn’t settle down for less than I had aspired for. My experience in Macedonia is that young people’s capacities and motivation are, more often than not, undermined. Age, gender and most importantly your contacts still matter for where you are and how much you progress in your career stream. Soon after, I started applying for jobs abroad and landed my first position as expat for an international organization.

Living and working abroad brings panoply of challenges. I was far from my family and friends and what I had deemed as a comfort zone…but that is exactly where I found my professional as well as personal maturity. I was absent during the birthdays, weddings and celebrations of people close to me, but I was fulfilling my career goals and that kept me going. At present, I am based in Lebanon: a country that is hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. The economic crisis and the presence of over a million Syrians in the country have resulted in mobilizing young people’s capacities and potential in the country’s response – at least in the humanitarian sector of which I am part of, and this has been a remarkable learning experience for me.

It’s crucial to distinguish my migratory experience from that of a person who left his/her country due to war or fear from persecution. But talking to numerous young refugees and migrants throughout my experience, I have come to acknowledge that our long-term goals and dreams have many common points. We all strive for self-actualization – in a safe and prosperous environment. My message to young people is: never stop working to achieve your goals, whatever they are. The universe has its way to reward those who don’t lose focus on their dreams. In my case, I was rewarded with the career I always wanted and working alongside people who have so much to teach about resilience.

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

????? ?? ?????? ???????: ?????????? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ?????????

?? ????? ????? ? ??? 29-??????? ????????? ???? ?? ????????? ??????? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???????? ?????? ????????????? ????. ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????, ?? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???????? ?????? ????????????? ??????? ? ?? ?????????? ??? ????? ?????????. ?????? ???????? ? ????? ?? ?????????? ??? ???????? ?????? ?? ???????????????, ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???????? ?? ??????????? ?? ??????? ?? ????. ?? 6 ?????? ????????? ?????? ??????, ?? ?????????. ?? ???? ????????? ???? ?? ?????????, ?? ?? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????. ??????? 2 ?????? ?? ?????? ?????. ?????? ? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ????????????? ????, ?? ???????????, ?? ?????????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???????. ????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ? ???? ???????????? ? ???????????? ?? ??????? ????? ?? ?????????. ????????, ????? ? ???????? ?????????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ? ????? ?? ??????????? ?? ?????? ???????. ?????? ?????, ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????????? ???????????? ?? ?????????.

??????? ? ???????? ?? ????????? ???? ??????? ??????????. ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ? ????????? ? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??????… ?? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ?????????????, ???? ? ????? ???????. ??? ??????? ?? ???????????, ?????????? ? ???????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??????, ?? ?? ?? ?????????? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?????????. ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????, ????? ???? ? ??????? ?? ??????????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??????. ??????????? ????? ? ??????????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?? ???????????? ?? ???????????? ? ???????????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ??????? – ????? ?? ????????????? ?????? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ??? ???? ???????????? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ????.

?? ?????? ??????? ? ?? ?? ????????? ????? ?????????? ???????? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ????????? ??????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??????. ???????, ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ??????? ? ???????? ??? ????? ????????, ?????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ? ??????? ????? ????? ????????? ?????. ???? ?? ???????? ?? ????-??????????? – ?? ???????? ? ????????????? ???????. ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???? ?: ??????? ?? ????????????? ?? ???????? ??? ???????????? ?? ?????? ????, ????? ? ?? ?? ??????. ??????????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??????????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ???????. ?? ????? ??????, ??? ????????? ?? ????????? ???? ??????? ?? ????? ? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ????????? ? ????. 

???????? ? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??????????”. ???????? „?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? “ ? ??????????? ?? German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
 

????????? ???????? ?? ???? ???????  ?? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

                                               Migration in (out of) Context – My Story

My name is Tarek, I’m from Damascus and I’m 36 years old. I have a masters in graphic design and visual communication.

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While I was living in Syria, I used to teach at the Faculty of Fine Arts and I also used to work at the International Agency for Advertising. In Damascus, I lived with my family in the old town, in one of the oldest houses there – our house had 23 rooms and a 600m² yard with a beautiful fountain. There were a lot of foreigners living in or visiting Damascus from different countries, such as the UK, US, Canada etc., for diverse reasons – some to study or to work, and others just for tourism. Many of these internationals were curious about and even coming to see our house, because as I mentioned, it was among the oldest houses in the old town and thus very interesting for sightseeing. I really miss the old town in Damascus. If you ever visit it, you will leave a piece of your heart there. You will definitely fall in love with that area.

In Syria, I was volunteering with the Christian Red Cross for many years (11 years in total), so when the war started I was a volunteer on the ground with the Christian Red Cross helping injured civilians. Although, honestly, I am very critical of NGOs in Syria, there are too many NGOs, but they are doing nothing on the ground. And most are controlled by the regime. The NGOs organized so many parties and festivities, but if there was an explosion, they were nowhere to be found to help civilians. The Christian Red Cross was one of the only organizations active on the ground and I was involved with them because I wanted to do humanitarian work and help. Even though I was born Christian, it’s not that I was volunteering because I was religious or anything, I’m an atheist actually; I volunteered just because I wanted to do humanitarian work, it was my calling. But the last 3 years of volunteering were the most difficult ones due to the war. We were given an assignment to evacuate 7 civilian families that were injured. Everything was legal, we had official authorization form the government and the army. We managed to evacuate the families together with the other volunteers, but when we reached the hospital, there was an ambush. Someone had reported that we were working against the regime. But we weren’t pro or against any party, we were only involved as humanitarian volunteers in the Christian Red Cross. And that was it, just a simple report by anyone was enough to send anyone to jail.

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I thus spent 4 and a half months in jail. We were 114 people in a tiny 40m² cell. It was so terribly crowded, that when we used to sleep we had to take turns every 20 minutes because there wasn’t any space. So while some were sleeping on the floor for 20 minutes, the rest of us had to stand because there was simply no space for all to lie down at the same time….The conditions were dreadful. We caught all sorts of infections and diseases, we caught scabs and due to the lack of oxygen, many caught lung infections…I lost 18 kilos while I was there. I couldn’t even drink water, I used to vomit just from drinking water.

In prison, beating and torture were like “good morning” and “good night”. There was no shortage of that. The conditions and life there were so terrible that every single day some 4, 5 people died. The guards always kept the corpses in the prison cell for a few days on purpose. When we would ask them to take care of the dead people, they would answer: “Wait, they are not smelly enough”. It was a torture mechanism.

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When they released me, I decided to leave Syria. That is how my journey began. I would have stayed in Turkey or Greece, I managed to integrate well in these two countries also. But the problem is the social system there. In Turkey and Greece, if you don’t have enough money, you cannot go to a doctor. If you don’t have money, you will starve. There is no social system taking care of you. But in Germany, you have healthcare and you won’t starve even if you are earning little money at your work. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to seek refuge in Germany. Even though to be honest, I am very independent and I do not depend on my family or the state, but as part of my family were already in Germany as refugees, it was partly why I decided to go to Germany also. And this damn thing – the passport – that had a big influence on my decision-making, as well. It is ironic that if you have an EU passport, you can go almost anywhere. But with a Syrian passport, things are different. As previously explained, part of my family went to Germany before me, I was still living in Syria at that point. I applied 3 times at the German embassy in Syria to get a visa legally, to see my brother, just to visit him…I was rejected 3 times…

During my journey, in 2015 I passed through Macedonia as well. While my group and I were going though Macedonia, we had to walk on foot because public transport was not a legal option for refugees back then. I remember in one village, my group and I got tired and we wanted to have some rest on a field. But a farmer came and he was scared and angry, he told us to get out of there. Fortunately, I speak English well so I explained to him that we were just passing and we weren’t looking for trouble, that we just wanted to rest briefly because we were so tired of all the walking. He calmed down and even brought us melons the next day. We offered him money to pay for the melons, but he didn’t want to accept it. It was a nice gesture on his part.

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I now live in Berlin and have a refugee status here. I work as a graphic designer and I managed to integrate well. I have many international friends here, most of them are Germans. But it was not all smooth sailing. I applied 72 times to 72 different companies before getting a job. Although, as I said, I am very independent and didn’t depend on anyone – since the day I arrived, I started doing internships. After 7 months of practice and internship, I found a job.

I still paint, I love art. My favorite artist is Salvador Dali and as you can see, I also add a surrealist touch to my artwork. There are many things that inspire me to create art, such as misery, happiness, love, culture (Syrian mythology), animals etc. I also always add a piece of “me” in my art. Sometimes, there are atheist elements in my art, as well, because in my opinion, the way religion has been used for money and greed is related to causing wars. So in a way, I try to fight against the factors that cause wars through my art.

This project was implemented by Legis with the support of the Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia. The Capacity development for Selected actors working with asylum seekers in Serbia and Macedonia was established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH.

Migration in (out of) Context – My Story

My name is Ibrahim Mardini. I come from Syria and I’m 25 years old.

After graduating from the Law University in Aleppo, Syria, I worked as a salesperson in a store before the war. When the war started, I was volunteering in a humanitarian organization.

While I was in Syria, I lived with my parents. My mother and father were simple people and friendly toward everyone.

I miss many things from my region, especially the food my grandmother used to prepare during the holidays. I miss my family a lot, I miss the delicious food of my mother and her generosity. I even miss my father’s anger; he was funny when he would get upset. So instead of becoming nervous, I used to laugh whenever something would upset him. I miss my brother’s jokes, even the ones that weren’t funny. I miss my sister’s silly obsession with fashion and the beauty world. I miss talking to my best friend, he was like a brother to me. We used to go to the park together, where we would sing. He wanted to become a singer and apply at the Star Academy in Lebanon, but unfortunately, he could not go there because of the war in our country. Although, to be honest, he was a terrible singer, I supported him nevertheless because I didn’t want to crush his dreams.

I left my country because I was forced to do so. The war made me leave my wonderful family and friends. I was close to being imprisoned on many occasions, because of political activities, because of the fact that I was against the religious and state regime. I dreamt of a free and democratic system in my country. Thus my mother begged me to leave, which is exactly what I did.

That’s how the journey began. It was not simple. It was very difficult to live in Turkey if you’re Syrian. You don’t have the right to work, except if you are very rich (and I wans’t). Contradictory, right. I applied to get documented, but I wasn’t granted a refugee status there, despite the fact that I come from a war-torn country. In lack of a recognized refugee status, I wasn’t allowed to work, which is why I worked in very bad conditions. I worked at a hair gel factory. I worked overtime every day, and earned very little. Nevertheless, I adored Istanbul and the mixture of eastern and western civilization.

Later on during my journey, when we got stuck at the border with Serbia in 2016, the conditions were really dreadful; it was cold, rainy, muddy…No country wanted to accept us. There was no going back or forth. We had an older lady in our group, a 62-year old refugee who was a cousin of mine. She was freezing. We called a doctor to come and see her, but the doctor ridiculed us and said: “She is 62 anyway, even if she dies, she’s old, it’s not a big deal”. Then we were returned to Macedonia.

I couldn’t stay in Macedonia because it has limited possibilities, that is, if 40% of the Macedonians are unemployed, it would be very difficult for a refugee who doesn’t even speak the language to get a job under such harsh conditions even for Macedonians themselves.

But I liked Macedonia, I liked the people in Macedonia. We became friends and they helped us a lot. When I arrived in Gevgelija, Macedonians were initially afraid of us and didn’t want to be friends. But then we got to know each other better, they realized that we’re not terrorists as the media presents us and that we’re ordinary people. Thus, they grew to love us and some even cried when we were leaving Macedonia.

Unable to continue northward, I went back to Greece again, the country about which I had read even as a child. I liked the Greek philosophy and civilization. I remember, when I was 11, I bought a book to learn Greek. My mother was shocked and kept telling me that it would be much more useful if I learnt English or French, but I kept on learning the Greek language until I was able to read Greek. Greece is also a wonderful country, but due to the economic crisis in Greece, I decided not to stay there and apply for a visa in another European country.

I now live in France, I am studying French at a university here, hoping that I will continue with human rights or international relations studies. France is a very beautiful country, where human rights are respected. However, I still miss Macedonia and Greece, despite the fact that I suffered a lot during my stay there. The refugees that were with me in these two countries became like a family to me and I spent many unforgettable moments with them, as well as with Macedonians and Greeks and I think I won’t meet such people ever again.

If the war in Syria stops, I would nevertheless want to return home and help my country, because when we lose our country, we become homeless and even if we live in heavenly countries, we are homeless.