Before fleeing from the war in Syria, Nadra was a teacher in a children’s school. Living in the Netherlands since 2017, Nadra has four children and does voluntary work at Harlem International Cuisine. Meet the strength and perseverance of this great woman at sixty-one years old.
ROH – What was the most difficult thing for you when coming to the Netherlands?
Nadra – Of course, for me, the Dutch language was the most difficult because I only speak Arabic and a little English.
ROH – How did you meet Road of Hope and how was it able to help you?
Nadra – I got to know the Road of Hope Foundation through one of my Syrian friends. It is a good organization that tries to help refugees with several activities, and I participated in their sessions with several women via the Internet. The discussion revolved around customs, traditions, psychological conditions, and how we spend our time. We women were trying to help each other so we could reach the right path. Of course, there were attempts to communicate in Dutch, even using only the simplest words. This was in addition to the activities that Road of Hope was doing before Covid-19, from meetings with women of several nationalities, to serving food and leading children’s activities. We used to spend beautiful times together.
ROH – At what stage in your life are you at now? (are you where you hoped to be when you first came to the Netherlands?)
Nadra – For me, I try to split my time between work, exercise and meeting with women to try to improve the language.
ROH – What positive message do you have to give to people who are starting their lives in a new country?
Nadra – Try to integrate as much as possible with the new society and to participate in collective activities so that they do not live in isolation from society, because isolation may cause psychological and neurological diseases.
ROH – What changes do you think are still necessary in society, in order to help refugees and allow them to play a more active role in their communities?
Nadra – In my opinion, immersive activities in all their forms are necessary to include refugees.
ROH – What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
Nadra – My dream is to be proud of myself in this multinational society.