Arab people often sing the poetry verse that says ”I adore my homeland even if I get oppressed there, and my family is generous even if they are stingily with me”.
Nobody wants to leave his own country unless something forced him to do so especially, like a real threat to his life or being persecuted for religion, race, … etc.
There are about 59.5 million refugees worldwide and over half of them are under 18. This figure is not stable, but on the increase as a result of wars and conflicts that break out in several regions. These people usually live under abnormal life conditions in their countries and they are susceptible to get exploited in the host countries of the refugees.
They usually face unbearable dark life circumstances and desperately try to get a light at the end of the tunnel. Actually, they are continuously looking for their life basic needs, so there is no time to get their life conditions improved or even their children’s future can be catastrophic.
According to the UNHCR estimation only 50% of the refugees’ children are enrolled in primary education and half this number continue to secondary education. Therefore, they need assistance from the world to embrace them and take their hands to stand on their own feet.
Many people thought that refugees are very lucky when they got resettlement in third countries, but this actually is not as easy as they imagine. In the resettlement country, they have to work hard in order to learn the language, to adapt to the new culture, to improve their work skills, and to begin their life from the base.
Although Europe and other countries receive a big number of refugees these years, there are still a great number of them who are in need of help and support. This not only happens by accepting additional number of refugees, but also by assisting in stopping conflicts and radically solving their problems.
On the World Refugee Day, I would like to thank countries which offer shelter for refugees, organizations that work hard to assist them, individuals who support them as much as they can. I remind refugees who live in safe countries to rebuild their lives and invest their life privilege to contribute in their new societies.
One of immigrants,
Ammar Al-Kaysi
Ammar Al-Kaysi knows what it's like to live in a Finnish camp for refugees. He blogs about his experiences and about what it is like to start from zero in a new country. He was recently given a residence permit.
This blog is in English.