My name is Driton Maliqi and I come from Kumanovo. It was late May 2015, that is, before the month of Ramadan, when refugees unexpectedly started appearing at the city mosque in Kumanovo… I initiated a mission myself to offer the refugees help at the beginning, willing to help these unlucky as much as I could. Over time, I met other volunteers who also came to help refugees, and then all of us joined the humanitarian organization Legis with a common goal.
Guided by the principle of empathy and solidarity, and having in mind the fact that ten years ago I myself was in the same situation, as a refugee because of the war that was going on in our country, the desire to help the refugees and the determination to be with them for their every need were things that filled me and made me happy. History is part of the people and people are the ones who make it, so Macedonia at this time became part of history that the entire world would remember as such, while the good deeds would undoubtedly be remembered.
According to me and perhaps other present and former volunteers, the mission to help refugees is a holy mission and, of course, if we are guided by the aforementioned principles, I can say that the difficulties that we had could not be even noticed and are not worth mentioning now. The enthusiasm, tirelessness, and vigor that we had at that time were hard to describe. It is something that could only be felt.
Let me add that at the outset there was lack of institutional involvement in dealing with the situation. The state became involved much later; nevertheless, we, as individuals and as organizations, managed to meet the needs of the refugees.
During the three-year experience in helping refugees, I was faced with many different situations, from the most traumatic ones to those having a happy ending. In every situation there were different feelings and emotions; each story was unique per se. There were times when we cried together with the refugees, whether in good or bad. It is really very difficult to choose a specific situation, there are so many of them… but something that would stay forever in my heart and mind is the happiness of the faces of the refugees when they received help; their nice words and blessings they had for us. They warm my heart. Furthermore, when reuniting families, happiness was endless. There were so many separated and lost people who had no knowledge where they were. We were able to reunite them with their families! It is a wonderful feeling when you know you are the reason for someone’s happiness!
We, as volunteers, represented the voice of refugees to convey their needs to the relevant institutions.
I worked in Legis as Coordinator of the Tabanovce transit center, as well as Lojane and Sopot where we had mobile teams, places where refugees usually passed by. The role of a coordinator involved delegating duties and responsibilities to other volunteers, finding solutions to specific problems, contacting institutions, the media, etc. My relation with the volunteers was very good; we respected one another very much. I must also mention that many international volunteers travelled thousands of kilometers to help the refugees, volunteers who did not spare strength, time, volunteers whose work was hard and sincere.
Of course, diversity always has a positive effect. So does in this case. It is true that we had volunteers of different religions, nationalities, etc. However, it all brought us together and made us know each other better, not forgetting the real aim why we were all there: to help the refugees.
In this work, there should be motivation, above all a desire to help, but there are also situations when you are simply tired or you are not available. In these situations, the support from the family is most needed, which I always had as well as from Legis. Legis was always here for its volunteers and refugees. Legis also supported our recommendations to have a more efficient operation. This includes mutual assistance from the volunteers (colleagues) who we cheered together. Similarly, we got support from volunteers themselves, and the support from unknown individuals calling in to help in any way they could.
Even though I work in the academic field now relevant to my profession, every time there is a need to help people, I will be there.
An old saying goes “A smile can change the world.” I would recommend this to all volunteers working in organizations with different goals, especially to those working with refugees as such. They belong to the most vulnerable category and in spite of the many needs they have as refugees, they also need love, understanding, and support from volunteers, so this is why I ask all present and future volunteers to do their job responsibly and with great love!
