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Moved to tears by my Syrian refugee friends who gave my kids an amazing present

3 min read

Better Society
Source: BrightVibes

My Syrian refugee friends saved sweets for my kids. Their kindness is heartwarming.

To find out what refugees from Syria have to do with getting my Dutch kids a bag full of sweets, continue reading. 

I’m sharing a personal story with you. In October 2015 my family and I invited 2 Syrian refugees to have diner at our home. It was a wonderful evening where we got to know the Syrian brothers Rami and Ammar from Aleppo.

From left to right: Michiel (founder BrightVibes) and brothers Ammar and Rami. Image is blurred to not compromise their family members.
My Syrian friends From left to right: Michiel (founder BrightVibes) and brothers Ammar and Rami. Image is blurred to not compromise their family members. Source: None

Ammar used to be a successful businessman who owned the biggest sports store of Aleppo and a restaurant. His brother Rami used to work as a cook before they fled Syria. Now, they have nothing but of course they are happy to just be safe.

Two months after our first encounter in Utrecht, they moved to another refugee center near The Hague. Just before Xmas I visited them and took them out for lunch in The Hague. 

We had a great time talking about the importance of learning Dutch, how motivated they are to find a job and their hopes to get a visa to stay in the Netherlands for five years. Rami told me that his wife who still lives in Aleppo, is 8 months pregnant and that he cannot sleep because he is so worried. The brothers explained that the trip from Syria to Europe is far too dangerous. The fact that he could not bring his wife with him to Europe is eating him up from the inside. Ammar has two kids and a wife. They fled to Saudi Arabia where Ammar's brother-in-law lives, but Ammar was refused a visum and had to leave his family behind.
Lunch in The Hague We had a great time talking about the importance of learning Dutch, how motivated they are to find a job and their hopes to get a visa to stay in the Netherlands for five years. Rami told me that his wife who still lives in Aleppo, is 8 months pregnant and that he cannot sleep because he is so worried. The brothers explained that the trip from Syria to Europe is far too dangerous. The fact that he could not bring his wife with him to Europe is eating him up from the inside. Ammar has two kids and a wife. They fled to Saudi Arabia where Ammar’s brother-in-law lives, but Ammar was refused a visum and had to leave his family behind. Source: None

They have nothing, but give so much

After spending a nice afternoon in the Hague, they insisted to show me the small bungalow where they live together with 3 other Syrian. I met the other men and drank tea with them. 

When I left, Ammar walked me to my car and he was carrying a heavy plastic bag. When we said goodbye, he gave me the bag full of small packages of marmelade and sprinkles. They saved this from the breakfast they get every day, so they could give a present to my kids. The kindness and generosity of my Syrian friends really choked me up. They are an example to us all!

In January they expect to know if they get a visa, and when they do my family and I will do everything we can to help them integrate in our society. Anyone reading this who also wants to help out in any way (finding them a job is priority #1), please write me at michiel@brightvibes.com

The gesture of saving this for my kids, is just amazing. What a wonderful, kind people. Please share this message as much as possible as it may help take away fears of some people.
The gesture of saving this for my kids, is just amazing. What a wonderful, kind people. Please share this message as much as possible as it may help take away fears of some people. Source: None

[UPDATE October 2016]

Ten months later, October 2016, the brothers are doing relatively well given the circumstances. After a thorough screening process, they both got a permit to live in the Netherlands for five year (no, not everyone is just handed a permit to stay). They moved a couple of more times but have now ‘settled’. That is to say; they are both desperate to be reunited with their families. The youngest brother has never seen his daughter, who was borne just after he fled the country. His – at that time highly pregnant – wife, could not possibly have made the dangerous journey. And the oldest is awaiting the green light from the Dutch immigration office, to grant permission to his family living in Saudi Arabia.

Now they both have permit and a home, they can finally start learning the language. They both do their utmost to speak and write Dutch, do voluntary work, improve their homes etc. I meet with them every once in a while, we’re in contact via WhatsApp, and try to help them where I can. It’s very limited what I can do, but if we all do this we can make a big difference.

I am not religious, but still… I pray they will soon be reunited with their loved ones.

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