Refugees

Asylum seeker Ter Dennen Centre

The project took place in:

Belgium

Workcamp

Written by Fanny Cabello from Italy

October 2017

Hello, I’m Fanny and I’m 28 years old. I did a volunteering  for two weeks last august in this refugee centre, organizing activities for children from the families we lived with.

When I was on the way I thought it would be difficult, and more when it is the first time you do something like this, when you don’t know if you will defend yourself with the language, if you will be comfortable in the environment, if you would be expecting … but once there, everything became clearer. Through the game there are many ways to communicate, and the fact that all volunteers as well as children have our roots and particularities makes it more special and enriching.

Every day we made an evaluation of how everything had gone, how we felt, proposals for improvements, etc and then we made the planning for the next day. The participation in terms of ideas, predisposition, attitude and desire was great for all volunteers!

The services of this temporary resource, the kindness of the professionals of the center, the sympathy of the refugees when we crossed the corridor, park or in the dining room offering us their homemade meals, and the joy that the children shouted: “activiteit, activiteit!!!” were examples of how they made our stay very welcoming and our experience very rewarding.

A month later, I can say that I remember some funny photo, a memory, an anecdote, an infinite laughter of some child that I have no doubt left some kind of mark in his life. I’m proud to have lived the best summer of my life, and I’m satisfied remembering phrases of mothers like for example: “thanks to you my son have been able to discover his hobbies” or “you have done a nice and good job here” .

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