The woman with two roles

My name is Faten, I come from Lebanon and I am 44 years old. Lebanon is a small country, we had many problems in Lebanon because there is too little work for the people there. I have a daughter, I’ve been divorced since she was three. My ex-husband didn’t take care of us. I had to work for the whole family. I guess that’s why he married me, so I could work. Continue reading “The woman with two roles”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, a million stories, germany, lebanon

Escape from civil war

My name is Dr. Massoud Khader, I come from Afghanistan, I was born in 1985. My home country is Afghanistan in Central Asia, the capital is Kabul. My country was often attacked, it would take too long to explain the situation in Afghanistan. I lived in Kabul, in the capital, a large city, there are more than 5 million people. Continue reading “Escape from civil war”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, a million stories, afghanistan, germany

“You can still see the marks from the rope on my arm”

My name is Mona from Baghdad and I am 27 years old. Mother to two children. I live in Malmo, recently two years ago.
I was born in Baghdad. My dad was a communist and he raised me and my 4 siblings in a different way from the tradition in Iraq. The woman has her rights and lives in her own way. I grew up with these thoughts from my dad. But when I got older, my thoughts broke with the society in Baghdad.

Continue reading ““You can still see the marks from the rope on my arm””

Dublin Core: Language: sv Subject: asylum, refugees, A Million Stories, Sweden

I want to live

My name is Khawla, I am 31 years old and come from Iraq. I am Yazidi. In Iraq very few Yezidis live, we lived in a small area, for us it was a very beautiful area. My village was Shangal, I had many friends there, people who loved me. I worked as a seamstress and had my own shop, I loved my work. My friends always came to the shop with clothes, they just wanted to talk, I sewed their things and we talked. We had the same language, the same faith. There is no place for Yezidis in Iraq, that is a big problem. Continue reading “I want to live”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, a million stories, iraq, germany

I’m not a refugee, I’m Marwa

My name is Marwa, I am 42 years old and come from Syria. I’ve lived in Germany for two years. My husband fled before me to Germany, I still lived in Aleppo when the war started. In Syria I managed a kindergarten, in the afternoon I taught English to adults and younger people. I studied English in my country. I never wanted to leave my homeland, we lived well in Syria, I always took care of myself.

Continue reading “I’m not a refugee, I’m Marwa”

Dublin Core: Language: Language will appear here Subject: refugees, asylum, syria, germany, a million stories

Fleeing death

My name is Ghait Al Theban, I am 23 years old and come from Syria. I was born in Damascus, everyone who has seen it once thinks it is beautiful. Damascus is a paradise for me, of course. I lived and studied there, my family and friends are there. I carry my home within me wherever I am. That I am Syrian fills me with great joy. We didn’t have much, we didn’t need that either. Money, cars, wealth, these things don’t make a home. Being at home, feeling at home, that’s home. In Germany I am a stranger, in my homeland everything was familiar to me. Living as a refugee in a foreign country or as a citizen in his country are two very different things. In my country, I know everything, every street, every place. I’m a stranger here. Syria is the most beautiful country in the world for me. Here I had to learn everything anew, it was difficult for me as a Syrian to arrive in a new culture. Continue reading “Fleeing death”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, syria, germany, a million stories

I only wanted to do good

I come from Iran, the political situation there is very difficult. I worked for 10 years as a nurse in a hospital and handed out the Bible in the hospital to give people hope. I wanted to help the people, that caused me big problems in Iran. Hospital staff watched me during distribution, they wanted to arrest me. Continue reading “I only wanted to do good”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, iran, germany, a million stories

My sorrow

I come from Egypt and I am 60 years old. I wanted to work in Germany and my children should study here. I have become very ill in Germany, unfortunately I cannot learn the language at the moment. Language is important for living, working and getting to know people. I have great problems communicating with the doctors, so my illness is getting worse and worse. I can hardly communicate. Language is really very important. Continue reading “My sorrow”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, Egypt, germany, a million stories

In search of a place of love

My name is Milad Georges, I am 27 years old and come from Syria. Before the war I went to university, I was in the third semester when the conflicts began and started to spread everywhere. I come from a city called Hassaka, in Hassaka live different peoples, a colorful place, almost like Cologne. Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, all nations lived together. A place of diversity.

We have not seen the kind of destruction that the people of Homs, Aleppo or Damascus have seen. In our town, conscription was a big problem. Every boy over 14 had to go to the military, carry a gun and kill without a specific target. I was still a student and very active in aid organisations. I didn’t want to be a soldier and kill people, neither for myself nor for my siblings. I didn’t want to kill someone I don’t know for a reason I don’t know. Continue reading “In search of a place of love”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, syria, germany, a million stories

Velvet-soft thorns

My name is Majid, I am 23 years old and come from Qamishli, Syria. My village is located at the border between Syria and Iraq, many different peoples live there, with different languages. It is a beautiful village, people helped each other in difficult times. I was one of the Kurds in the village, our people suffered problems in the past, which still shapes us today. When the conflicts arrived in our village, we were afraid, afraid that the past would happen again. We had a good life, loved and respected each other. Continue reading “Velvet-soft thorns”

Dublin Core: Language: de Subject: refugees, asylum, a million stories, germany, syria