Three years after her arrival in Greece, Neda shares her own 'journey' and talks about how school helped her to integrate into a new reality, allowing her to have dreams for the future again.
“My goal in life is to become a painter because I like to draw a lot. My family and friends like my drawings, and they encourage me to draw more and more. Through drawing, I can express my feelings and thoughts easily.“.
My goal in life is to become a painter because I like to draw a lot. My family and friends like my drawings, and they encourage me to draw more and more. Through drawing, I can express my feelings and thoughts easily.
“I arrived in Greece in 2019. Firstly, I was at the camp of Moria in Lesvos. Afterwards we moved to the refugee camp in Kleidi, and finally to Serres”, she says.
“I never went to school back in Afghanistan, and due to the overall security situation we left the country, when I was 7 years old.“
Neda loves her sister, one-year-old Yasra, and really enjoys taking care of her. She lives with her parents in the Refugee camp in Serres (Northern Greece) along with other refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine.
As she speaks about her education in a Greek public school, she says full of excitement:
“I like going to school. I made some Greek friends there and the teachers are nice. I have planted a tree in my school, and one day I will go there to see how it grows.“.
After I finish school, I attend the Non-Formal Education (NFE )* classes, which take place in the camp. I enjoy them a lot. The teachers help me to do my homework and also assist me with Greek, English, Math and Science among other subjects” she shares.
Neda and her family had already lost a lot due to the conflict in Afghanistan but they managed to maintain their hope which led them to Greece in an attempt to escape violence and conflict and build a new life from scratch.
Neda wasn’t alone in dealing with the anxiety and uncertainty the conflict back in her country involved both for her and her loved ones. More than 80 students in the camp currently attend the NFE classes, including those from Ukraine who fled their country losing their homes or in some cases even family members…
“My favorite subject is English", says Neda"but I like art and drawing more. I would like to give you a drawing of mine”, she says with a big smile as she hands over one of her drawings to me.
When I asked her what she likes most in Greece, she mentions, “I like the sea and the beaches in this country. They are so beautiful – I also like the mountains and the forests.“
As her life returns to normal and her hope for a brighter future starts growing again, Neda says
“I hope we will move out of these container houses and we will find a nice place to stay, so we have a normal life again like everyone else.“.
