Constantin Thieme temporary companion and a Syrian refugee, Hamad, who were presented welcome by the German organization Refugee. (Photo by Adam Berry)
When he designing the Syrian army in documents, his father told him it was time to go.
Then Hamad, * student computers 24 in Damascus, took to the road for a dangerous and a half months through Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and France, then in September last year in Germany.
German overwhelmed social services, is in a former classroom Berlin with eight other men.
"If nine people live in the same room, there will be problems that a person wants to sleep, another will not sleep. Someone wants the lights, the other not, and so on," Hamad said.
An Internet-based organization called Welcome Refugees (Refugees Welcome), often described as Airbnb for Refugees, fixed their problems.
a dresser, closet, bed and a window your new neighborhood gentrified neighborhood wedding overlooking: the medical student Constantin Thieme, 24 Hamad now also has a space for themselves in the apartment Thieme presented together with Hamad.
Thieme said it was easy to provide additional space on the website, to avoid linking refugees with families, pensioners, students, each with a space. He was already rented his room on a temporary basis; In this way it could help refugees along.
The two men met in the kitchen of Thieme. It was shortly. "We do not say much. It was clear to me that we get along," he said, as Hamad laughed approvingly.
Welcome Refugees was established in late 2014 by three young Germans, Mareike Geiling Jonas Kakoschke and golds Ebding. His motivation was to better accommodate refugees was often live in camps outside the cities, and therefore lack any opportunity to integrate.
The organization has six full-time employees and 60 volunteers and helped home some 287 refugees by Germany. His success in the refugees distributed with the national offices in Portugal, the Netherlands, Canada, Austria, Spain, Poland, Greece, Sweden and Italy. More than 5,000 roommate are currently registered worldwide.
When users save a space available, have relationships with local charities of refugees, the lists of registered asylum seekers.
welcome refugees can even help to find ways, if necessary to pay rent refugee status. Thieme, for example, has been € 500 ($ 560 US) posed for Facebook friends Hamad pending cases by the Government are completed.
"It was really amazing how positive reactions were, because many of them just said" "." It's great, that's something where you really see where the money goes and not so anonymous
To ensure that the game will be good offer accommodation people, the languages that they speak asked what, if any, are similar to their counterparts, and describe their city and its surroundings. Volunteers website last mediation or dispute problems in HMOs, which should last at least a year and a half, and eight to 12 months in the control.
If things work has not been developed for the fugitive in what he has just happened in some cases, or offered them a home elsewhere.
Cofounder Mareike Geiling, home to a refugee himself, said that there is a growing pain was due to the massive influx of refugees in Germany, more than one million just last year, the largest contingent of the European Union. "It was a challenge to work with external agencies, such as government agencies, which are not paid as numeric and fast pace that our work demands to be one of us."
While increased political tensions around the open door policy of Chancellor Angela Merkel, acidification is the public mood is another problem for the Organization of donations Depending. After Merkel "without borders" Syrian refugees welcomed answered in summer 2015 thousands of Germans the reputation of a "culture of acceptance" welcome migrants stations with food, clothing and toys for children to create.
Since then, the chancellor has been criticized from his own coalition government. The anti-immigrant populist party Alternative for Germany achieved good results in the regional elections. There was an increase in fires in refugee housing.
However, Thieme said, at home opening is the best way to overcome fears on ignorance, is based, and changed his mind: "Hamad is not completely stereotyped Arab man who very open mind, I think it is not the image, generated in the media, or by some politicians. "
Hamad has applied for asylum, but is likely to wait months to get permission to work. Meanwhile he continued German lessons, after weeks and weeks of work alone with a manual. Although he and Thieme speak English all the time, he says, he lives with a German person great advantages in life with other refugees has: "It's a million ways to do better by more connections because you live with real Germans. " ,
The two young people say that society enjoy each other and go to a restaurant together once a week, in spite of the busy schedule of Thieme. They also celebrate the New Year, Berlin-style.
Hamad said his relatives are pleased in Damascus again to have found of a second home. Thanks also to ordinary Germans, who make him feel welcome. But while waiting for a response to his request for asylum, the hope is that the war finally relax.
"There is a lot of work in my country do. When it ends, and there is no peace, my country needs me."
(* Hamad real name has been changed at his request.)
Further information
Website: http://www.refugees-welcome.net/
Video: http://www.sparknews.com/en/video/refugees-welcome-offering-safe-home-refugees
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