(10 February 2017) – Antoine Saint-Denis (AEIDL) speaks with Mohamad al-Kour, a Syrian refugee who has been living in Belgium for the past 18 months. Mohamad explains his reasons for leaving Syria, tells the story of his long journey to and through Europe, and talks about his new life in his newly adopted country.
Antoine met Mohamad on his first day in Belgium. Like many other Belgian citizens, Antoine and his wife had volunteered to give provisional shelter to asylum seekers in their home, to compensate for the inability of public authorities to meet the urgent needs of these people, who had been deprived of everything.
Mohamad’s experience shows that refugees have to overcome many challenges: accommodation, education, family reunification, access to the job market, and integration as a whole.
According to Mohamad, “it is very important to point out that refugees are human resources and if they are well supported by the Belgian government, it will lead to a win-win situation.”