Former Syrian refugee offers to help new arrivals in Germany
Bander Alkorsan is lining up grey plastic chairs on the green carpet of a refugee shelter in the eastern German town of Hoyerswerda, where a pre-Christmas children’s party is planned for later in the day. The fifth-floor window overlooks empty concrete roads and blocks of flats.
“The kids are about to get presents from Santa,” says the 24-year-old Syrian man. A parish from a neighbouring town wants to bring some festive cheer to the young migrants with the German tradition of St Nicholas, who brings gifts to children in early December. Mr Alkorsan goes to the corridor to call in the children. Doors open, and the kids come running.
Mr Alkorsan is completing a so-called “voluntary social year” at the refugee shelter run by the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) charity which looks after people in need, in particular the elderly and those with disabilities, but also children, and now refugees.
The voluntary social year in Germany is targeted at young people between 18 and 26 years of age who have completed their compulsory education and want to give something back to society. Among the federal German states, Saxony is pioneering a special programme with 50 places to help refugees, and refugees themselves can apply.
The scheme is a welcome opportunity for many who are otherwise not allowed to work in Germany. The volunteers usually only receive pocket money and expenses, but the work experience might come in useful later.
When Mr Alkorsan arrived in Germany more than a year ago, he spent five months in a refugee shelter in Hoyerswerda. Now he is helping others like him to find their way around.
“Someone told me they need volunteers here, and I said ‘I’ll help’,” says the young man. While there is a volunteer programme at federal level, the places are only filling slowly.
Mr Alkorsan has been working in Hoyerswerda since October, when the former office building opened its doors for asylum seekers. However, the town does not have the best reputation when it comes to helping refugees.
Since the 1990s, Hoyerswerda has been associated with right-wing radicalism and attacks on foreigners alongside Solingen in the Ruhr and Rostock-Lichtenhagen in the far north east of the country. A refugee shelter attacked back then was located on the same street as the shelter at which Mr Alkorsan works now. This year has seen new attacks on refugee housing in the town.
Mr Alkorsan is aware of the city’s dark past, but he is sanguine about it. “I enjoy living in Hoyerswerda, and I like the town.” “I feel safe here,” he says. Around 400 refugees currently live at the AWO shelter. Most of them are from Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq. When Mr Alkorsan walks along the corridors, people come and talk to him and ask for help and advice.
“He has been in the same situation as the refugees, that’s very helpful for us,” says Ihab Jacoob, who is in charge of the shelter. Mr Alkorsan can talk to the refugees in Arabic. “He is my right-hand man,” says Mr Jacob.
“I have yet to put up some furniture here — a bed, mattresses, a table,” he says as he points to an empty room. By the doors, there are still the signs with the old office numbers. From the kitchen there’s a smell of onions being fried. There are two kitchens on each floor.
“This floor is for families only,” explains Mr Alkorsan. Refugees who arrived on their own share rooms upstairs. Mr Alkorsan works in the shelter six days a week, including Saturdays. “I can’t sit around at home, I want to help.”
Mr Alkorsan has a lot to do, and not just at the shelter. He often accompanies new arrivals to the immigration authorities, the job centre or the doctor. “In those situations I act as an interpreter as well,” he says.
He only started learning German six months ago — first on his own in front of the computer, but for the past three months he has been enrolled at a language school in nearby Kamenz, where he attends lessons four mornings a week.
Upstairs on the fifth floor, Santa has started giving out presents to the children, and Mr Alkorsan and the other volunteers are busy containing the chaos as the kids run towards St Nicholas, almost tearing presents and sweets from his hands.
Bander Alkorsan’s voluntary social year has only just begun, but he is already making plans for the time after. “I definitely want to stay here in Hoyerswerda,” he says. He is thinking of setting up business. “A Syrian restaurant would be great!”
Alkorsan spent five months in a refugee shelter. Now he is helping others to find their way around.