Ubi caritas

Sidal

Day 27, 23 December, 2016

Sidal was born in 2015 in the North of Lebanon in a refugee camp. From her first days she shared the daily lives of the 1.3 million Syrian refugees who found refuge in Lebanon. Sidal was born a refugee. She was born a refugee. According to the UNHCR, in 2016, 65.3 million people were forced to flee their homes, it is unprecedented in history. On a global level, 39% of them are hosted in countries of the Middle East and Northern Africa, 29% in Africa, 14% in Asia and the Pacific, 12% in North and South America and 6% in Europe.

A few days after the arrival of Fatima and Abdulsatar’s family we were many celebrating together the first birthday of Sidal. She was radiant. A few months later she made her first steps in our living room. She is full of energy and life, she brings joy to everyone around her. We are happy to know her and to see her grow everyday. And we hope that Sidal will never know war.

Omeir and Soundous

Day 26, 22 December, 2016

Omeir and Soundous are Syrians, they are Fatima and Abdulsatar's first children, they were born in Syria still before the revolution. They arrived to Taizé last spring. In the airport we were a group of people waiting for them and before their arrival everybody was wondering : What are we going to tell them ? How are we going to communicate ? In what physical and emotional state are they going to be? The door opened and the children were walking towards us, a bit hesitant, clearly very tired but with a big smile on their faces and sparkling eyes. After a few minutes, we had the feeling we had already known them a very long time. They grew up with war and uncertainty, always fleeing the violence that surrounded them. They arrived on a Thursday morning and the next Tuesday they were already going to school. As soon as they arrived the parent's and the children's first question was about the school. « Where is the school? When can we go ? » A few kilometers from Taizé is the little school where the children go, with remarkable teachers who prepared everything to welcome them well. The teacher's as well as the children' s welcome was extraordinary.

Tuesday morning, the two children were waiting in front of the house with our daughters' old schoolbags. Their sparkling eyes showed how keen they were to discover and learn new things. We were probably as excited as the children themselves. When we arrived they got out of the car and hand in hand they walked together towards the courtyard of the school, where everything happened very naturally. The other children surrounded them and started asking them questions. In Lebanon somebody had prepared them for this first contact. “Hello, my name is Omeir, nice to meet you!” They had a lot of success. A few days earlier they were in a refugee camp in Lebanon and at that moment, in front of our eyes they were starting a new life, in a little school in Burgundy. Since that day they progressed with their french very fast. Their understanding and school grades are getting better every day. Very fast they became integrated in the class and the school.

Yaman

Day 25, 21 December, 2016

He will be 5 years old in February. He was born during the first months of the Syrian revolution, he was only a few months old when his parents decided to flee their home. Until today, he has celebrated all his birthdays as a Syrian refugee in the North of Libanon. This small country of approximately 4,5 million inhabitants is welcoming more than a million refugees from Syria. Imagine a country where a quarter of the population is made up of refugees fleeing a deadly and devastating war. Yaman grew up in a camp run by a small NGO which does an amazing job working with children, it is called Relief and Reconciliation for Syria. As soon as they arrived in Taizé, Yaman and his brother and sisters surprised us with their creativity: they draw, sing and know by heart stories in arabic, they are also able to improvise a great show in a few minutes.

Two weeks after their arrival, we went to visit a local farm where they make goats cheese. The children loved to stroke the goats but they were less interested by the store so they went outside to run and play on the swing. A few minutes later a tractor drove by close to where the children were playing. Yaman got scared, he jumped off the swing and started running all around searching for a place to hide and shouting for help in Arabic. His terrified eyes expressed all the fear of an innocent child, forever wounded by the horrors of war. He stayed in our arms for a long time trembling and wiping his tears.

Fatima and Abdulsattar

Day 24, 20 December, 2016

Before the war they lived in Homs, in Syria with their two children. Abdulsattar is gifted with drawing, calligraphy and decoration skills. He used to work in a company that made interior and exterior decoration for buildings. Fatima was busy at home with the children and when she gave birth to their third child, the syrian revolution had already started. Abdulsattar participated in the first pacific demonstrations, dreaming of a free Syria. Soon the violence spread around the country and their region was not spared. One day in 2012 their neighbourhood was bombarded and the two parents decided to leave the city and flee to the countryside. The family had already left the house but Abdulsattar went back to help an elderly person that also wanted to flee this perimeter targeted by the government troops. At that moment a shell hit their home and Abdulsattar was badly wounded: his jaw was ripped off, his eardrums perforated and he suffered serious burns all over his body. The paramedics found him unconcsious amongst the rubbles of the bombing, they directly took him to a Red Cross hospital located right across the border in Lebanon. He went through several surgeries and stayed in hospital for weeks.

It is only after 4 months and with the help of several NGOs that Fatima and the children managed to find their husband and father in a refugee center in the north of Lebanon. Now, we are neighbors. And with the friendship we share we try to go forward together towards a better world.

Artem

Day 23, 19 December, 2016

15 years old from Donetsk. Before the war his family had a good and peaceful life. Artem is fond of football and his dream was to play in the great team of Shakhtar Donetsk. Since his early childhood he was a member of the local football team and he had 5 training sessions every week and matches every week-end. The war made his dream vanish. His family decided to leave Donbass and move to Kiev. Artem found a new football club and has training every day. He is a goal-keeper and hopes to be discovered by the managers of Dinamo Kiev.

During a Sudanese-Ukrainian football match this summer in Taizé we were wondering statistcally how much chance boys from East-Ukrain and boys from Darfur would have to play football together in a little village in Burgundy. Even though the match turned out to be joyful how sad it is that it’s the war that brought these young people together.

Nazar

Day 22, 18 December, 2016

7 year old boy from Donbass who spent a few weeks with us, together with other children from East-Ukrain, this summer in Taizé. As the war approached more and more he fled with his mother to Kiev. Her mother is a teacher and she found a job at a school. Nazar is one of those kids who are full of life and joy. When we were walking along the street he was jumping and hopping around instead of walking normally as if simply walking would be a boring waste of time. At church he had his eyes and ears wide open, when he met somebody he was focused and curious to get to know to the person. He was like a sponge absorbing everything around him.

(Photo by Jean-Pierre Nguyen)

The only moment when his face became sad was when he spoke about the war, about his friends left in Donbass, about his life before... about everything that was beautiful but is gone forever. We wish that the voice of these children whose life was broken by war could reach the ears and hearts of the decision makers.

Manuel and Nur

Day 21, 17 December, 2016

7 and 4 years old. They were born in Irak in the plain of Niniveh next to the city of Karakosh where the majority of people are Christians. Together with their parents they fled their home in the summer of 2014 when the ISIS troops were approaching. They found refuge in an overcrowded refugee camp in the town of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. They stayed there for a whole year. With the help of a French NGO and the Taizé brothers they were able to acquire visas to come to France and to take a plane directly to Paris. For a few hundred euros the family of 4 could enter Europe and reach safety after a 3 hour long flight. They did not have to cross the Turkish border illegaly, risk their lives on inflatable boats on the Mediterranean Sea, they did not have to endure the ordeal of the Balkan Route and they did not have to pay 15 000 euros like all the other families we have spoken to in Budapest during the summer of 2015.

When they arrived in Taizé Manuel was easily irritable, he was getting angry easily and would hit people for no reason. We knew that he had seen and experienced things too difficult even for adults. Yet, after a year spent in a safe environment and a lot of personal attention we are convinced that Manuel is overcoming his difficulties. He learned french incredibly fast, he is interested by everything that surrounds him and he asks a lot of questions.

Day 20, 16 December, 2016

Today we would like to dedicate this page to all our friends whose photos you will not see and whose stories we cannot tell :

To A. who is overwhelmed with despair after his asylum request was refused and who doesn’t want to eat because his wife and children are suffering of hunger back home. To A. whose dream was to bring his wife and children to a place where they can live together in safety. To A. whose dream and hope vanished.

To M. whose past was so heavy that his present is confusion and his future is uncertain.

To N. who is one of the most courageous persons we’ve ever met but in order to go forward he cannot look back anymore.

To all our friends who struggle with the complexity of our Western society and get lost in that unknown jungle.

To all our friends who cannot sleep and have nightmares every night.

To all our friends who miss their lost mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers so much that sometimes they have the feeling they cannot breathe anymore.

To all our friends who never complain but the sadness of their eyes tells everything.

To all our friends who are broken, who we cannot help but with whom we can only cry together.

(Photo by Jean-Pierre Nguyen)

Khouloud

Day 19, 15 December, 2016

She was born in Irak to a big family. They were living in very simple living conditions and Khouloud could not go to school. Already at a young age she was cleaning the houses of wealthier people. When with one part of her family they moved to Jordan she continued cleaning to earn some money. It is in Jordan that she met her future husband who is a Coptic Egyptian. Khouloud lost several family members to the successive wars that shook Irak.

Khouloud is a Chaldean Christian and we were extremely excited to meet a woman whose mother tongue is the language Jesus was speaking: Aramaic. But we soon understood that our respect for Khouloud was about much more than the exotic language she was speaking. Khouloud is one of those everyday heroes who despite all the difficulties she encountered was able to keep her faith, her hope in the future and her generosity. At first communication was complicated because of the language barrier. So our friendship was made through the tasty Iraqi dishes she prepared for us. Oftentimes we would hear the doorbell and see Khoulood arriving with dishes, plates and unique flavors we could recognise from far away. The first French word she started using was “eat!” And she taught us the Arabic word too: “Kul!”. Khouloud sees and understands the world through the kindness of the heart. We are happy and proud to be friends with her.

Abdelkarim

Day 18, 14 December, 2016

32 years old, Soudanese young man from Darfour. He first went to Tchad, then to Libya when he decided to flee the progovernement militia violences of his homeland. In Libya he worked for months without ever receiving the salary he was suppose to. He could not go back to his country anymore without the fear of being arrested and tortured, so he decided to go on and to cross the Mediterranean sea. He stayed only a few weeks in Calais and he quickly understood that the best he could do was to leave the "Jungle" as soon as possible.

Abdelkarim received Asylum relatively fast and since then he has been working in different places. Currently, he is working in a local masonry project that renovates old walls falling apart. He is of a very big help in the house where we have been welcoming, for already 6 weeks, young minors from Calais who hope to go to England. He volunteered to go live there and every night, after work, he spends time with the young boys and helps them with his presence and kindness to accept their situation and to wait for the answers from the British authorities.

Sultan

Day 17, 13 December, 2016

39 years old Sudanese. Just like the others, Sultan left Darfur and crossed Lybia, the Mediterranean sea and Italy before arriving in Calais. Sultan doesn’t speak much but when he does it is always something meaningful. He is strong and enduring. A neighbor from the village gave him a bike which became his main means of transport. Whatever the weather he goes everywhere with his bike, even to Macon, which is 40 km away.

We found out in October that 16 young minors would come to Taizé for a few months until the British government decides whether to welcome them or not in England. Sultan immediately volunteered to help. He moved to the house where they were going to live and his presence there is very valuable. He translates for us, he helps in the different tasks of daily life and he is taking part in the common meals. He is like an uncle to the young people from Calais, someone they can count on and who gives them back hope. Everyone is full of respect for him.

Masha

Day 16, 12 December, 2016

16 years old. She fled the East of Ukraine with her parents and brothers and sisters during the summer of 2014. She told us how in her school they got used to the sounds of bombing and shooting. They only left the classroom, which was upstairs, when the sounds of combat were getting too close to the building. Masha is a smart girl full of ambition.She volunteered in the UEFA European Football Championship of 2012 which was organised by Ukraine and Poland. Her job was to help in welcoming the football fans in the great football stadium of Donetsk, the Donbass Arena. During the Summer of 2015 when Masha was with us in Taizé, the fightings reached the stadium and caused serious damage to this building which was the pride of the whole region. For our part we were surprised by this young teenager who never complained and who wanted to enjoy every moment and every meeting to acquire new knowledge about the world that surrounds her. We felt like Masha had such a strong spirit and inner power that not even a war could get in her way.

Once back home, she got involved in an anti-corruption movement in Ukraine. She also takes part in demonstrations for human rights associations and speaks out whenever she can. Her dream is to become a doctor and make the world a better place.

Artur

Day 15, 11 December, 2016

11 years old. He comes from Kiev but while he was in Taizé, his father was doing his mandatory military service in Eastern Ukraine. We were calling his mother every second day to know if everything was allright.

During the last evening prayer at church, the children sang a Ukrainian song after the silence and then read a prayer they had prepared themselves. Who did Artur, whose father was fighting against Russian separatists from Donbass, want to pray for? For the group of young Russians from the Arche community of Moscow who arrived a few days before in Taizé.

Taia

Day 14, 10 December, 2016

10 years old. She was living with her parents and her 3 brothers and sisters in the East of Ukraine in Donetsk. Her parents are doctors, they had a comfortable life before the war. But in 2014 as the fighting got closer and closer they had to flee to Kiev. They became refugees in their own country. In these harsh conditions with a lot of courage and tenacity they managed to start all over again. Taia loves singing and playing, she also draws beautifully. She was speaking to us in English with an unusual confidence for a child of her age.

The day before their departure she made a drawing for us with a short note: “I hope you will never forget us.” We fixed this drawing in a very visible place where we can see it everyday.

Masha

Day 13, 9 December, 2016

14 years old. Before the war she was living in Luhansk with her mother. According to her, they had a simple life, but each year they went on holidays with the money they could save. With organised trips she could visit big cities such as Paris, Prague, Vienna and Budapest. She started playing the piano at a very young age thanks the free music schools that remained from the Soviet period. She plays the piano wonderfully well ; later she’d like to become a piano teacher.

One day, we asked all the Ukrainian children: “how do you imagine your life in ten years?”. Masha answered without hesitation: “ I have to be happy… I already witnessed so much misfortune in my life. In the classrooms we were used to hearing explosions from a distance… but when they got very close we decided to leave the city and seek refuge in Kiev. I miss my friends from Lougansk a lot and I worry about them because I don’t know if they are safe or not.”

Murtada

Day 12, 8 December, 2016

22 years old. He fled Sudan through Lybia, Italy and arrived in Taizé on 5th November 2015 after a stay in Calais. Murtada is a nice, joyful young man. We often wonder how he could keep his smile and kindness in spite of all the difficulties and sufferings he endured. Murtada learned French fast. He likes talking. He is interesed in others’ opinion and happy to share his.

Since September he has often taken the same bus as our daughters. Murtada always managed to pay for their ticket himself by the time they arrived. Since being in Taizé he has worked in very different places : kitchen, agriculture, grape picking, iron foundry... The next step is school and training. Murtada’s dream is to study general mechanics.

Ahmed

Day 11, 7 December, 2016

Ahmed is one of the youngest from the Sudanese boys. He is from Darfur but he started studiying at the university of Khartoum. And then he had to flee the country. Ahmed is a passionate football fan, he knows all the details of European football. He follows the progress and the career of the players and the major football clubs. His favorite team is Liverpool.

He dreams about continuing his university studies.

Adam

Day 10, 6 December, 2016

25 years old. He fled Sudan and went to Chad where he stayed a longer time and where he learned to speak French quite well. This is how he became our interpreter in the beginning. He was the first among the Sudanese boys to receive his refugee status in France. It was a big joy in the house, all the others came to congratulate him. He just kept repeating to everyone: I hope you will also get the good news soon. Adam loves football and his favorite team is Real Madrid.

From the first days, Adam welcomed with warm hospitality friends and even total strangers who came to the house. “Take a seat, what would you like to drink? Tea, Coffee? Or a glass of water? How are you? What can I do for you?” He keeps this hospitality and his smile even during the harder days. Twice a day at the start of the common meals, it's usually him who starts the blessing prayer that the others join in with, first in french, then in arabic : « O Lord, bring your blessing to this meal for us, and grant us ever more. Amen. »

Mohamed

Day 9, 5 December, 2016

We met Mohamed on the 25th of August at the Keleti railway station in Budapest, Hungary. We had a big bag full of pencils, markers and paper with us. In less than 5 minutes we were surrounded by children sitting on the floor and drawing with enthusiasm. A boy who was a little older than the others asked us for paper and markers. He took them with him to where his family was staying, sitting down on mats on the floor. Little Mohamed was there next to his parents and he did not dare come closer. But he started drawing and when he finished his drawing he came and gave it to us : I drew this for you. A Syrian flag with one little sentence: I love Syria.

We think of him and the other children we met during these summer days very often. Where are they now ? Are they safe ? Have they met good and kind people who helped them ? Are they going to school ? Have their dreams come true ?