His journey took four months and cost thousands of dollars. But
he is one of those lucky enough to have made it.
"I'm in UK
now, I'm in safe place ... I can start to build something for my life,"
said Milad, who asked that his real name not be used because he fears the
family he left behind in Syria may face reprisals.
Milad snuck into
the United Kingdom from Belgium late last year, hidden in a smuggler's truck.
It took him five tries before he made it across the border. He checked his
smartphone to make sure he was in Britain, before he and another Syrian refugee
inside the truck started banging on the door. The driver never came, but the
police did -- they took Milad to a refugee center.
But that was one
of the easier parts of his journey. Before that he had traveled from Syria to
Egypt, boarding a small, crowded wooden boat in Alexandria that sailed for two
days to Libya before picking up even more refugees and migrants, until about
400 people were on board. Most of them were from Syria, some were from Egypt
and Afghanistan, a few were from Africa. They sailed toward Italy for seven
days.
During those days and nights on the Mediterranean Sea, he
survived on water and some dates. He read the Quran. And he prayed.
"You are on
the sea. And there is no anybody around you. And there is no anybody who see
you. Just the God who can't help you," said Milad.
But there is
more hardship ahead for the 29-year-old trained dentist. He has been looking
for work for months, with the help of a job center.
"I can't
work as a dentist, but at least I want to work as an assistant," he said.
In the UK,
refugees receive financial support -- including a housing allowance and
Jobseeker's allowance, which Milad says he's grateful for. But he still worries
about his future here. He fears it will take years to qualify to become a
dentist, and that he may never pass the written exam. He has heard stories of
other refugees who were doctors and dentists back home who have failed the test
multiple times.
Meanwhile, he feels pressured to take any job that is available.
"It's very
difficult things after you studied like five years, six years, and you work
after that, and you will come to the new country to work like washing dishes
... it is very difficult," he says.
Milad is alone
here. His brother is in Sweden, where he says immigrants are given more
support, and more time to upgrade their skills and education.
"In Sweden
they give you like one year or two years, because they know this is a new
country for you, it's very difficult to start to live in this country,"
said Milad. "Then they will start to encourage you to find a job, they
will help you to find a job, but this is not the same in UK."
European citizens opening doors
With Europe struggling to cope with an
influx of refugees, activists say where governments are falling short, ordinary
citizens are stepping up to help.
"The public
are miles ahead of the politicians on this. We've seen people open up their
front doors, but we need a deal to get politicians to cut back the barbed wire
and let people into the continent of Europe and around the world from
Syria," said Sam Barratt, with the international activist group Avaaz.
After seeing the
painful image of Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian toddler who drowned off the coast of
Greece, one London father offered to open up his home to refugees.
"The tag on
the photo said, 'Never let them say England is full.' And I thought that was
right. I thought, England isn't full," said Mark Tanner, a lawyer living
with his wife and two children in London.
Tanner's son is
nearly the same age as little Aylan.
"The boy
looked a lot like my little boy, so I could completely empathize with the
father who thought it was such a sad sight," he said, his eyes tearing up.
"As a
father and a human being, I don't think it's right that children should be ever
dying in such circumstances," Tanner said.
He's hoping to
welcome a Syrian refugee into his home, perhaps an unaccompanied minor, or a
mother and child. He hopes others will pitch in, too, however they are able.
"Donating
10 pounds, 20 pounds is good, and I think all of that is good and I think that
has pressurized the British government to do more. I think there are always
steps that we can do more," he said.
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