PERSONAL STORIES FROM THE ‘CHRISTMAS VILLAGE’ CONCERT IN THE CITY CENTER
“You helped me to relax.”
S.M.59-year-old woman
PERSONAL STORIES FROM THE ‘CHRISTMAS VILLAGE’ CONCERT IN THE CITY CENTER
“You took us back to Syria, back when we could celebrate with our families and friends and did not have war.”
J.I.65-year-old man
“You took us out of Idomeni in March, have given us a place to stay for the past four months, provided us with shelter, showed us much love and care; we lacked nothing. You treated us with dignity and respect. You have imprinted our hearts with a huge stamp of love which will never be erased!”
[This family shared these thoughts with us during the farewell gathering organized in their honor as they had been notified of their relocation approval and had to depart for Athens. We have been told that they are relocating to France.]
M.G.Father (with wife and their one-year-old boy)
“I worked as an assistant in a law office in Damascus, I had a good life and I left it all behind and fled…my husband is in Germany…he is waiting for us…this war is destruction. You found us in this state and you gave us a home to live in, to live like a real family.”
[This woman’s husband came to see them while they were still at the camp. When we transferred them from the camp he was present. When they saw the apartment and were given the key, they hugged and kissed and thanked us. The next day as he was leaving, he told us “I am going back to Germany, but I am leaving my wife and children with my new brothers…you!”]
Ν.Α.mother of 3 girls (ages 3, 4, and 1)
“My husband left Syria for Germany a year ago. My children and I left Damascus in February 2016, planning to cross over into Turkey, then to Greece and ultimately arrive in Germany. That’s what we were told… I took some cash and jewelry with me which my in-laws gave me. We were a group of women and children. After crossing the border, the smugglers took our bags and with them some of our money and important papers. I walked (more…)
W.A.mother of 4 children (3 girls/1 boy – her 3-year-old girl is tetraplegic)