"Doktor's Döner" - stories of arriving at the Be welcome summer party

The youngest guest was four months old, the oldest participant 82 years old. The young son of a family of six from Afghanistan was born here in Germany. The parents, who both studied finance and administration, had to leave their country. The mother had worked as a local employee for an organization for 11 years. Her life was in danger. They managed to escape, but their arrival was a long journey that has lasted three years so far. They are supported by Cora Diemer, who was motivated to help by the war in Ukraine. She came into contact with the A* family through Be welcome. She says modestly, "You help where you can." Mrs. A* is happy about the community with others in the project. She praises the multicultural atmosphere and the fact that she and her family can learn from the experiences of other refugees. They even managed to find an apartment themselves. Her husband also found a job as a warehouse clerk in Mainz through his own efforts. They repeatedly emphasize that they can offer their children a good future here, security and prospects. Now they want to learn German even better. Mrs. Diemer helps them a lot in dealing with the authorities. They are particularly grateful for this.

Young people wanted

Some time ago, it would not have been possible for M.* to take part in the Be welcome festival with his godmother Helen. The reserved young man is in his mid-thirties and has an enormous escape story behind him, including 13 years in Sweden, where he converted to Christianity. From there he came to Germany. He was threatened with repatriation to Sweden and thus deportation to Afghanistan. The Anglican Church in Wiesbaden saved him from this through church asylum. M.* now lives in refugee accommodation and church warden Helen continues to look after him with dedication. "With its many years of experience and networks, Be welcome is an enormous support," she says. Thanks to her efforts, the young man has now been given a leisure card to get to know Wiesbaden and find a change from everyday life with all its worries and hardships. "It would be great if another young man went to the swimming pool with M.* or to the climbing forest on the Neroberg," wishes the godmother, so that he can gain a better foothold here. She is convinced that contact with young people would make it easier for him.

Karin Müller can also tell many stories about arriving here and how difficult it is to manage this even with support. The 83-year-old, extremely resolute woman has been mentoring people for many years, including people from Iran, Syria and Ukraine. She no longer allows herself to be told what to do when dealing with the authorities, which is not always easy: "I'm at an age where I can do it." She very much hopes that society will change, "but it's getting tougher."

"Doctor's kebab"

Like so many others, Mr. R.* could write a whole book about arriving. The trained doctor has been trying to work in Germany for four years. As he was unable to take his license to practice medicine with him when he fled Turkey, he cannot present the required document. The family man has now made a virtue out of necessity. As he loves cooking, he opened a kebab bistro in Dotzheimer Straße a few months ago. The name says it all: "Doktor's Döner". It is well frequented and his wife bakes the bread herself. Quite a few of the party guests have already stopped in there.

The person who pulls all the strings at Be welcome is Andrea Walter. She has been coordinating the project at EVIM for five years. Her boss, Christopher Schmitt, thanked his colleague for her special commitment to the sound of applause from the participants and was delighted to announce that funding for the project has been secured for a further three years. Andrea Walter was also able to report on highlights of the afternoon: for example, the naturalization of two people and the voluntary commitment of an increasing number of people who had previously accompanied new arrivals and who are now acting as sponsors themselves. For her, this is forward-looking. The Swabian, known and appreciated by many for her enthusiasm in the sponsorship program, was even able to pass this on literally. A young man from Syria was "thrilled" about what EVIM does. (hk)