Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of NEHEMIAH GATEWAY

Newsletter for Friends and Supporters Edition December 2015

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INTERNATIONAL AID ORGANIZATION

Migration expert Ahmed Bugri wants the German society to start asking uncomfortable questions.

Vanessa Machowetz from Nehemiah Gateway recently had the chance to interview Dr. Ahmed Bugri on his personal views on refugee migration into Germany and the possible questions arising when different cultures and religions meet.

He is the director of the “Foundation for Shelter & Support to Migrants” that provides accommodation and counselling services to refugees, as well as an expert on asylum and migration law. Ahmed was born in Ghana and has been living in Malta for the last 25 years.

Read more on the next page »

What will Germany’s future look like – clash of cultures or successful integration?

Dear friendsand supporters!

The Christmas story is becoming very topical these days. After all, the small family had to cope with problems like persecution, flight and emergency shelter.

Let’s remember the desperate search for a roof over their heads in Beth-lehem. Fleeing the mass killing of Herod. The flight to Egypt, where Jesus had to spend his first years as a refugee. All this makes Christmas very special. A celebration that gives us an impression about the fact that God does not evade the crises and problems of mankind, but is ready to face them personally. He keeps an eye on those who suffer neglect and persecution. And on all those who selflessly help and support.

Therefore, we chose this topic for this year’s Christmas edition of our news-letter.

Enjoy reading!

Your Compact Team

Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of NEHEMIAH GATEWAY 2

Vanessa: Hello Ahmed! You live in Malta, which is located on a central route of refugee migration into Europe. The country is very small, but accom-modates a large number of refugees per capita for years now. What do you think about the current refugee situation in Germany?

Ahmed: I think that Germany is facing, what Malta was facing ten years ago. We experienced that large numbers of refugees were coming, and the more the numbers were increasing, the more there was a neg-ative response from the local population. There was discussion about the refugees’ religion and their culture. The questions from the Maltese were: How will they affect our society? Are they here to take our jobs? Are they here to marry our daughters?

So, what we were discussing ten years ago, Germany is beginning to discuss now. The question is the same: Can we cope? How will the coming of refugees affect us? I think, this is a natural reaction. But also migration is a natural phenomenon. When people are facing natural disasters, or be it war or poverty – when they feel unsafe, they want to move to a place of safety, that provides them with an opportunity. Germany is known as a place which is very wealthy, a place that is peace-ful, has respect for human rights and a good quality of life. Now, we have to start discussing the real question: How will this change the German society?

Vanessa: Change, of course, is a natural aspect of all societies – but normally, it takes time. What do you think, how will the coming of refugees in such a short time period, challenge the German society?

Ahmed: The refugees are coming with a culture and the culture is veiled in religion. Or it is veiled in what we call a value system. The question of integration becomes a very big issue.

I believe that migration can be beneficial. But, not everybody has an education, so the German welfare system has to take care of those who are not strong. And that is a burden on the tax payer.

Germany is going through a demographic change, and in the next twenty years, Germany will not have enough people to pay the pensions. So if you are going to have to share your pension with a person who has come to Germany and has not paid into the pension system, it becomes a burden.

Vanessa: Couldn’t the coming of more young people also help the demographic change problems?

Ahmed: Exactly. The benefits will come if the refugees can be integrated into the employment sector. But many people will say: They’re taking our jobs now. Which is not true. This has to be communicated properly in saying: The person is not coming to take away, but the person is coming to contribute.

Vanessa: How can this be done?

Ahmed: I think first of all, what you have to do is to com-municate that refugees are human beings. A refugee is a human being. And every human being, refugee or not, has aspirations, has hopes and is looking for the same things you and I would look for. I think, to begin with, the Germans have to be educated about why the refugees are coming to Germany – that it is not a holiday.

Everyone has to understand the loss of the refugee. A person who leaves their country, and walks for days and risks their life in a boat or pays a smuggler for nothing... Germany has a moral obligation towards its fellow human beings. The other side is to educate the refugees about what is important in Germany. Why is Germany a peaceful country? What shaped this country? It didn’t grow out of the sky. People worked for it. People got an education. People made sacrifices.

Vanessa: What do you think, refugees expect when they come here?

Ahmed: Most refugees come from societies that are very strict. And people will come and want to live their culture. Are the men willing to respect if their young daughters want to wear trousers, or not? Will they refuse the German education system because it conflicts with their culture? Will people ask for Islamic schools? These are the questions.

Vanessa: How did it work in Malta? How did society reach a consensus there?

Ahmed: There is no easy answer. I know refugees, who have lived in Malta for ten years, and who are still liv-ing as they were living in their home country – because, unfortunately, in Malta, the government did not take many steps to provide an integration policy. I’m also

Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of NEHEMIAH GATEWAY 3

afraid of that in Germany. In Europe, freedom is inter- preted as the way you want to do things, but does that include: Can I marry two wives? This is not compatible with the local custom and it is not compatible with the law. Then, people segregate themselves and live in their own community. Germany already has this experience with the Turkish community.

Vanessa: So, are we facing a clash of cultures then?

Ahmed: Definitely.

Vanessa: How can we minimize the negative implications of that?

Ahmed: Education, education, education. And it is crucial to have an integration policy. Vanessa, if you have to go to Turkey or Lebanon as a refugee – they will not be shy to tell you what they expect from you. So, why don’t the Germans communicate their value systems from the beginning and say: If you want to live here, this is what we expect from you! Germany is what it is because of its openness and that’s what is attracting people to come.

The respect for other cultures has to be there, but also the expectations have to be made clear.

Vanessa: So, refugees should be integrated into the normal working environment as fast as possible?

Ahmed: Exactly. You cannot say: Let’s wait until they get a degree and they can speak German well – no, this will take them years. They have to begin from somewhere. Start from the lower skills. But don’t just put them into the camps and give them money and let them get dependent on the system! Vanessa: Ahmed, thank you very much for this interview and your insights. I’m sure there will be many challenges ahead, but we also have a true chance to make the situation a beneficial one. It has been a pleasure to talk with you. Have a merry Christmas time!

Ahmed: Thank you also, Vanessa. And a very merry Christmas time to you, too!

In a nutshell, Ahmed Bugri recommends the same things that are important in every human relation-ship: to meet each other with an open mind, but also to express our needs and expectations very clearly. And never to beat about the bush!

Dr. Ahmed Zanya Bugri

Dr. Bugri is much in demand as an expert in EU Migration and Asylum Law and policies. Among others, he also holds a B.A. in theology. This was not handed to him on a silver platter. Ahmed comes from a village in the North of Ghana.

His life is marked by extremes: born and raised in a strict Muslim family, cast out when he converted to Christianity, his flight to Malta…. Leading a big refugee camp in Malta, he gained a lot of practical experience, which makes him a much asked-for expert for Migration in the EU and on international level. Since 2002 he is also pastor of New Live Christian Centre in Malta

More than 15 years ago he visited Nehemiah Gateway Albania for the first time, and a long-term friendship has started. For three years he was the rector of Nehemiah Gateway University, where he is contributing as a visiting lecturer until today.

Visit us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/NehemiahGateway

Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of NEHEMIAH GATEWAY 4

Families of our Amaro Tan School’s pupils seek their fortune in Germany.

Last year our Amaro Tan School in Pogradec faced a startling phenomenon: One family after the other “dis-appeared”, the number of pupils in classes dwindled. The reason: rumors circulated that Roma people would get special support in Germany: clothing, housing, money, documents and a place of work…. Who can resist such promises? Especially, when you have to work so hard in order to survive. Many families sold almost everything for a flight ticket to Germany. Quickly, they had to find out the hard way that their dreams came to nothing. 13 children have already returned, out of 27 who left with their families to Germany. We talked with some of the returnees about their experiences.

Daniela, a mother of two, was shocked when they were brought to huge refugee camps. That was not, what she expected. However, she was very impressed by Germany, the order and cleanliness. And by the friendly policemen.

Mirela is the mother of five boys, all of them pupils in Amaro Tan School. She tells us: “In Germany people approach you, they don’t despise you being a Romni. Our neighbors showed concern and affection, they paid us visits and asked about our life in Albania. We told them about Amaro Tan school and the support the children received there. But also that we hardly know how to survive there. The neighbors brought toys for the children.”

“After our return to Albania the children do not create as many problems as before. They care for themselves

and their clothes, and brush their teeth. Myself, I’m not as hard as before since I experienced so many good things. I’m not as rough to my children any more, and try not to shout at them. But how long will I be able to keep that up, when they are always begging for a little money and I have nothing for them…..?”

One of Mirela’s sons, twelve-year-old Vionist, was impressed by things that seem absolutely normal to us: “I made friends quickly. My older brother was even in-vited into the homes of his German friends!” Daniela’s daughter told us proudly about her good friends, six German girls of her class who even helped her doing her homework.

Those reports are a testimony about the situation in Albania. A little respect and esteem is like balm for the souls of these people.

This is another reason why our Amaro Tan program is so important. Here, the children get more than just a good education. They are accepted and find a safe environment. They learn to find their way in society and get the chance to break the vicious circle of poverty and social exclusion their families have suffered for genera-tions. We cannot change the whole country at once, but step by step we proceed in the right direction.

Amaro Tan means “our place” in the Roma language. In the Albanian town of Pogradec, this place is a Nehemiah Gateway school, with a variety of support projects for disadvantaged children from poor families.

In search of a better life

Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of NEHEMIAH GATEWAY 5

Five high school students travel into the mountains in order to bring help to poor families

October 16th is World Food Day, the international day of action against hunger. In Germany there are very few people who literally have nothing to eat. In Albania this is different, especially in the faraway mountain villag-es. Several students of Nehemiah School in Bucimas/Albania grasped the opportunity and visited several families in need together with our social visiting service.

It’s student Elda Pere who organizes the trip. She asks all the pupils to bring basic staples from home that are suit-able for the distribution in parcels. The staples make up 14 large boxes. On World Food Day, October 16th, five students load the parcels and, together with our so-cial workers, travel toward the mountains – in spite of thick rain clouds and cold temperatures. After one and a half hours they arrive at the first of the villages in the Mokra region.

They are deeply moved about the fates they encounter there. For example, the elderly couple in the village of Maline. Both are critically ill and have to live in a house that is almost falling apart. Their food staples are dried corn and walnuts. Nothing else! They have nobody who cares for them, just the contrary. Their own relatives threaten to expel them from their “home”. It can hardly get worse. But they enjoy the students’ visit and insist on the young people to take some nuts as a small sign of gratitude. Student Eleni is deeply moved: “We have everything, and still we want more. Those people have almost nothing and the little they have, they share with us!”

The group moves on to families of disabled persons, to abandoned elderly people, to the sick and lonely.

After visiting 14 families in four villages they return home, exhausted and deeply moved. Into cosy homes, with plenty of food and lots of comfort.

Elda summarizes her impressions: “At the end of the day we had the impression that we received much more than what we gave to those whom we visited.”

This trip will not remain a single occurrence. Until now, such visits were organized twice a year. They are a valuable part of Nehemiah School’s curriculum and help the students to better understand Nehemiah Gateway’s values. Many dissatisfied young people suddenly see their own life in a very different light. Xhordiana agrees: “I will graduate next year, but I find it very important that this initiative will continue. Therefore, I’m talking nonstop with my fellow students and try to win them over.”

Donations – a great way to help!During the Christmas season our thoughts wander to those in need who are not as privileged as we are. If you want to join us and contribute, we can guarantee that 100 % of your donation will be transferred to your chosen project without deduction for administration or overhead costs.

Find further information online:www.nehemiah-gateway.org/en/get-involved »

Remarkable: For the ladies of our social and medical service, these exhausting trips are a normal part of their work. Alie, Nexhi, Anila, Egla, Nikoleta and Kristina in Gjirokaster serve with great commitment and persever-ance – for many years.

A journey through time into Europe’s poorhouse

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5NEHEMIAH GATEWAYgemeinnützige GmbHKontumazgarten 3D-90429 Nürnberg, Germany

T +49 911 60009960F +49 911 60009969office@nehemiah-gateway.orgwww.nehemiah-gateway.org

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Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of NEHEMIAH GATEWAY 6

INTERNATIONAL AID ORGANIZATION

Gut Dietlhofen becomes thecenter of Peter Maffay Foundation

He is by far the most successful music star in Germany, and well known for his social activities. Peter Maffay will continue work at the beautiful estate in Upper Bavaria in the spirit of Nehemiah Gateway. He will provide shelter for disadvantaged children and young people, and help them to regain trust in life. In the meantime, Nehemiah Gateway will concentrate on the international aid projects.

Co-workers

Family Partheymüller will stay in Gut Dietlhofen and continue to work the ecological farm. Irene Gansneder and Gusti Kuhn will will be employed by the Peter Maffay Foundation, too. Only Dieter and Karola Tremel moved to Nuremberg to Nehemiah Gateway’s headquarters. Speaking of co-workers: There are new faces in the Nuremberg office: Eliverta Muco (Eli) moved from Berlin to Nuremberg in October and is working as a project manager for Global Operations. Markus Ehrlein is our new trainee for office management.

Christmas Marketin Albania

On December 18th and 19th we’ll have lots of booths, lights and music on our compound in Bucimas. Christmas Market – a beautiful German tradition which is not yet known to people there. It’s a perfect occasion to invite people, to make new contacts drinking punch and enjoying Christmas cookies and to talk about the Christmas story. A music school will give concerts and children will have fun with a bouncy castle and many other attractions.

At a glance