By: Jora Atienza
In the days leading up to my arrival to Rome for USF School
of Management’s Academic Global Immersion 2016 Winter Intercession course, I
noticed a striking poster at the window at a local café that had an
illustration of a man concealing a small child inside his jacket. It had a simple
message above it: Refugees
are welcome here. A sandwich board outside the café said it served
Ethiopian coffee. Several streets down, I saw the poster again, this time at a
casual restaurant that sold gyros and falafels. I walked the rest of the way home
thinking about the significance of where these posters were located and the
idea of what “welcoming” could mean for refugees, forced migrants, and asylum
seekers around the world. I found later that the poster was created by the
organization Jewish Voice for Peace,
which focuses advocacy work in service of peace, social justice, equality, human
rights, and respect for international law.
Some days later, I heard a story on the radio about Syrian refugees
being relocated to Britain. Several refugees were interviewed and their
experiences ranged from happiness, frustration, to disappointment. A 31-year old man, a doctor in Syria, had been
imprisoned and tortured there. He lamented the fact that he could not practice
in England without learning English and restarting his medical education and certifications.
How could he invest a decade of time and energy so that he can work again? In
any scenario, he will have to start far behind what he had already accomplished
back in his country. All while being separated from friends, family, and
everything he’s ever known. In contrast, a 20-year old man was exuberant about
his future and grateful to the UK for an opportunity to begin his life. He had
already found a job working at a local falafel stand. He had arrived with this
mother and two younger brothers. One brother, who has leukemia, is able to
receive the healthcare that he needs, in addition to the family receiving
support with housing, education, and some living expenses.
I was struck by the varied experiences of these two men,
both forced to leave their country at different stages in their lives. The
younger one, so hopeful for his and his family’s future; the older, uncertain
in his frustration and feeling isolated in his new home, having to create
community with fellow refugees and Britons. I wondered how much their different status in
life back in Syria is making an impact on how they are adjusting to resettlement
in England and what it means to truly start a new life. Basic necessities such
as food, shelter, healthcare, and safety? Of course. But how can government refugees
and forced migrants to rebuild the both tangible and intangible webs of support
that exists in any community? Especially when families and friends are
scattered around the world, livelihoods are destroyed and people have to start
again. Honoring human dignity and rebuilding connection and community needs to
have a prominent space in any resettlement program.
