Migrant and Refugee Women who restart their lives in Athens (Greece) – The story of Sharife from Afganistan
The WEMIN at the «You and I, and those who came after-We are all citizens» event
agosto 3, 2019
Intercultural Picnic organised by the WEMIN project at the Cultural Center of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNFCC) Park
agosto 19, 2019Migrant and Refugee Women who restart their lives in Athens (Greece) – The story of Sharife from Afganistan
The story of Sharife from Afganistan
« … I would very much like to continue learning Greek , because I feel my progress is obvious. I have never felt such warmth and never loved a lesson that much.. “
Sharife is a woman from Afghanistan where, before leaving, she had a comfortable life and even operated her own business. However, in January 2016, due to safety problems in her country, she and her husband made a decision to leave the country with their children and to reach Germany.
An important motive for the couple’s decision was their desire to ensure safety for their children and their right for going to school and studying. They managed to arrive in Greece, and after successive changes in their place of residence, they ended up in a hosting campus in Attica.
Realizing, though, that their prospects in Greece were limited, they decided to continue their journey to Germany. Initially, it was Sharife's husband who left and arrived in Germany. The youngest son followed due to his serious health problem as he needed immediate medical treatment. Sharife had to trust the child in a family she had met, who were going from Greece to Germany.
Everything turned out well and the child met his father. Recently, Sherife with the rest of the family members in Greece have started the process for their family to be reunified in Germany. Meanwhile tough and since her husband left, Sharife's life has changed significantly! The difficulties she faces in raising her as children on her own, are many: she worries about their safety and feels strongly the responsibility she has undertaken. The best possible care of her children is her main concern in all her decisions.
Sharife does not speak Greek yet, a fact that exacerbates her problems and makes her feel weak. Neither can she keep track of her children's progress at school, nor she can communicate directly and effectively with trainers and social services – this is a situation that frustrates her a lot! She has realised that until the family reunification in Germany is completed, learning how to communicate in Greek with the staff of the services and structures she visits, is necessary!
This is the reason why she seeks to participate in educational activities; so, when she learned about the launch of the WEMIN training course, she expressed her interest immediately! Today she is one of women who has not missed a class, while her progress in Greek is obvious! She is a very dynamic woman, smiling and willing to do things!
“If all the lessons I attended in these three years were like yours, nowadays I could speak and write Greek fluently. Lessons were done in a comprehensible and correct way. The trainer, as well as the interpreters, helped us greatly to achieve what we have achieved so far. I would like very much to continue learning Greek, because I feel my progress is obvious. I had never felt such warmth and had never loved a class that much ..”
Last but not least, talking about Greece, she says that she likes it very much, as it has beautiful landscapes and very friendly people. However, she believes that conditions are not easy for refugees to cope with and this is the reason why most families choose other European countries as a place of residence.
You can be informed about “WEMIN: Migrant Women Empowerment and Integration” implementation by visiting, www.wemin-project.eu / Follow #WEMIN
For further information, please contact info@daissy.eap.gr και olykek@olympiakokek.gr.
