Newcomer Mirza
Mirza (36) years old, comes from the former Yugoslavia. He came here as a child with only the clothes he was wearing. In May 1992 war broke out in the former Yugoslavia. You have no choice when it comes to flights. All you know is that you are leaving your native country, which country you end up in is a surprise.
Mirza first fled with his mother, grandfather, grandmother and sister to Croatia. His father had to leave them behind because he was forced to join the army. He later complied. For two years they lived with a total of 40 people in a 60 m2 apartment. Tensions also arose between Croatia and Bosnia. Since Mirza is a Muslim, from that moment on he was no longer welcome and again in mortal danger.
What Mirza often wondered during that period was why he was on Earth. Life has no material value, but emotional value can be created. The bad also has the good in it. The seed for volunteering was then planted at the age of 9 years.
Fortunately, he was eventually taken by Dutch soldiers. Before he ended up in the AZC in Zwolle, he slept under a bridge for three days. Because Mirza and his family first stayed in Germany before being taken away by Dutch soldiers, they were afraid of being sent back. Thanks to a friendly Zwolle native, they were able to send a letter directly to Her Majesty. To their surprise, their letter was answered. In fact, the letter was delivered by carriage and brought good news: They were allowed to stay in the Netherlands. "From then on I could live again".
Then I realized that justice does exist somewhere
Mirza's father had no intention of sitting still now that he lived in the Netherlands. He took whatever odd jobs he could get. For example, he cleaned trash cans on a voluntary basis in the hope that he could prove himself to get real work. No chance of work, but a relocation did pass. Rotterdam was the terminal station of Mirza and his family.
Cleaning & DIY, work that they were not really used to and from which they were not able to derive the pleasure from. Luck no longer came to Mirza's father. After the war Mirza went back to Bosnia together with his father and mother. Mirza's parents became happy again here, Mirza unfortunately saw too much of the painful past in the old streets.
Mirza left for Rotterdam again and, in addition to his father's work mentality, also took his own family with him. Mirza has been working in the Netherlands for 18 years now. For a long time he made long weeks of up to seven days. This way he was able to save money to send to his family in Bosnia.
Volunteering is a logical step for Mirza. He feels that he has received so much, and he wants to give it back. He saw in others how well it did them to help. He wanted that too.
Doing good translates back in itself
Mirza prefers to help people and support people. With work in the financial sector and his experience as a newcomer, he can help and support other newcomers at the start of their journey in the Netherlands. Curious about Mirza's help offer? View his profile here.
Newcomer Abdullah
Newcomer Abdullah Abdullah (26 years old) came to the Netherlands from Turkey alone and has been living in the Netherlands for over two years now. His parents still live in Turkey, but all their children are scattered all over the world. From America to Tanzania to the Netherlands. With a wink, Abdullah mentions that this is because of “the good government” in Turkey. For that very reason, Abdullah had to apply for asylum. In the dark of the night, when your pupils are wide open to catch only a little bit of light, Abdullah braved the rivers of Turkey in a small boat. Not with two people the boat was intended for, but with 10 people. Abdullah owes a lot to a friendly Dutchman from the Red Cross whom he met in prison in Greece. He told Abdullah that the Netherlands is fair, social and a humane country. It is a bitter pill to swallow for Abdullah that it may never be possible to see his parents again. His father can no longer leave Turkey because of a prison sentence he previously served. If Abdullah went to Turkey, a long prison sentence would welcome him. On Zorgzaam010 Abdullah made a new friend who is in a completely different age range. Abdullah and his 94-year-old friend have taken more than 100 language lessons together. The first lesson started with just hand gestures, now Abdullah speaks almost fluent Dutch! A good friendship is the result of the 100 lessons. Abdullah likes to help people as others help him. To celebrate the friendship, Abdullah has therefore organized a surprise party for his 94-year-old friend. Stunned he walked in, then the party started Abdullah finds it important and nice to help others. "As long as I can, I'll do anything for you." Are you looking for a buddy, could you use some company or do you sometimes feel lonely? All barriers that Abdullah can overcome, just like the borders of Turkey. Find his volunteer offer here . Abdullah got in touch with us through OpenEmbassy. OpenEmbassy ensures that newcomers can find their way in the Netherlands in a sensible, equal and smooth manner. We build communities, support individual newcomers and change the system of integration and civic integration. In Rotterdam, we started the Connected and Inclusive project in collaboration with the Municipality of Rotterdam. In that project we support individual newcomers via our helpdesk, we learn from the conversations and the issues that arise, and through action research and community building we make visible what is really going on among new Rotterdammers. Share these stories and inspire others to help too! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Forward
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