Merve’s Story

Embrace Relief has been hard at work monitoring the refugee crisis in Greece. As the number of migrants heading there continues to rise, we’ve been helping provide Refugees with the basics that they need including food, water, and psychiatric support. In addition, we have our English Language Conversational Partnerships Program which helps teach refugees English as it is a prominent language spoken in Europe and around the world. Recently,  We have touched base with one of the refugees who’s signed up for the program, and her name is Merve! Once a week for one hour she takes classes with her assigned tutor via video chat to practice her English speaking skills.  Here is her story: “In 2016, my family and I were forced to flee from our country due to political persecution. One day, my father, mother, little sister and brother, and I packed our things and took off for a free life. I could not understand what had happened. Suddenly, we were in Greece and my whole life was behind me. After a difficult and tiring journey, we finally reached the Greece border and were immediately sent to a Refugee Camp. Starting over in a foreign country is overwhelming and I began to lose my sense of identity. Everything was so different, I even lost track of time and didn’t realize I had spent my 16th birthday in the Refugee Camp – but that was okay because we were together and safe. Entering a foreign country can be extremely frustrating when you don’t understand the language or culture It was difficult to find a place to stay, where to eat, and to learn in school. I decided to sign up for Embrace Relief’s English Language Conversational Partnership because I thought it would help me to learn, make friends, and communicate with others around me. Embrace Relief’s English classes have given me the confidence to pursue my dreams of going to college to study either study medicine, international law, or become a surgeon in Norway or Holland. All of these schools are English speaking, and I now have to confidence to apply and earn a degree. I want to say ‘Thank You!’ to Embrace Relief for helping me with my English. I am so grateful and thankful to have the opportunity to take part in this incredible program!”   Merve’s story is truly inspiring and we cannot thank her enough for reaching out to us to talk about what she and her family had gone through. As this is an on-going crisis, and refugees will need everything they can to survive and adapt to a country completely brand new to them. You can help support Refugees today by clicking here.