(23 March 2016) – Simona Monica Pascariu, AEIDL correspondent in Romania, gives us an overview of the situation of refugees in her country through the journey and experience of the Aboaisa family.
On the 3rd of March, 15 refugees found asylum at the Regional Centre for Accommodation and Procedures for Asylum Seekers in Galati, Romania. They had travelled from Greece with the help of the International Organization for Migration. Among the refugees was the Aboaisa family, two adults and three minors.
Only eight days after their arrival in Galati, the family already have a desire to settle there, despite having previously heard only bad things about Romania. They feel they have integrated well and the head of the family, Mohammed, a chef by trade, has started to cook for others at the centre.
“There was nothing official, but the information I had was that Romanians were poor people, the refugee centres were miserable and you had to beg to eat. When we arrived we saw something different, which completely changed my opinion.”