Dear Refugee Crises - Valentina Georgieva

Dear Refugee Crises,

I have been encountering you a lot for the past few years. I have gone through various situations with you. Situations bringing many different emotions in me: suffering for the ones in need of help; fear; the need to give my best in order to make a difference; the feeling of being both powerless and powerful; hope for a better future.

Let’s start with the need to help. I have spent many hours studying you. I am aware of the situation you are in. But I cannot feel the obstacles and pain you have gone through. What I know for certain is that you are having a really hard time trying to survive and get used to the new world you are facing nowadays. And you need all of the help you can receive.

In Bulgaria, for example, we welcome hundreds of your children a year. We have been providing them with a home, food, help to find a job and the appropriate education. No matter how big of an economy crisis we have we are putting a lot of effort into providing the refugees with a good living.

But then comes the fear. We have welcomed way more refugees than Bulgaria can take care of. We cannot supervise the transition process well enough; the crime rate in our country has been heightened for the few past years.

The situation that I have made myself aware of is that a great number of the refugee crimes have been hidden from the society. I guess this is just the way of our government’s policy to present the country in the best light possible.

But this results in my fear of not knowing what to expect from the refugee community. I have relatives living in a constant fear surrounded by the newcomers and they have been my only source of knowledge for the crimes that have been committed.

Not having the power that the government possesses makes some people feel like they cannot do anything, but at the same time I believe that no matter your role in society, you always have the opportunity to make a change.

Maybe you do not have the money to invest in somebody’s future or much time to devote to the cause, but there is always the need of spreading awareness, the need of a new friend you can just call in times of need. So I believe one can feel powerful when they realise that that can actually help.

I try to feel the hope for a better future because without hope we have a dead end in front of us. Hope makes you actually put effort in whatever you are passionate about. Let’s just look at the bright side – we can work together, help each other whatever way possible, count on each other in time of need.

These are just some of the ingredients for a better future but if we follow them they would be just enough to reach our destination – a peaceful and united world.

Sincerely,

Valentina Georgieva

Photo by Radek Homola on Unsplash