Members of the Vietnamese community, who came to Ireland as refugees more than 30 years ago, reached out to newly arrived refugees at an intercultural event in a community hall in Co Kildare earlier this week.
The group, who arrived in Ireland in 1979, presented a donation to help fund social activities for Syrian and Iraqi refugees, who have been living near the town of Monasterevin since last September.
More than 60 men, women and children are being housed in a former showband venue, the Hazel Hotel, five minutes from the town, before they are moved to permanent homes across the country.
Presenting the cheque for more than €3,500 to the Kildare Volunteer Centre, which organises social events for refugees, Viet Nguyen said his family experienced a similar situation to the people from Syria and Iraq.
“When we came to Ireland we were warmly welcomed by the Irish people and the Irish government and we experienced no difficulty at all, every help was given to us,” he said.
“As part of the Vietnamese community we would like to show our support and hope the Syrian refugees will overcome their difficulties.”
He said he hoped the refugees would embrace Irish custom and culture and settle into a new beginning in Ireland, as his community had.
Thanks extended
Wafa al-Jaafari came to Ireland late last year from Syria with her daughter and two sons, one of whom is a 20-year-old with severe disabilities.
She told The Irish Times she wanted to thank the Irish people for their “warm welcome when we were really, really struggling” and for the respect they have shown, “especially for people with disabilities”.
She said she feels safe in Ireland and people are always smiling at her and welcoming her.
The weather has not fazed her: “We love rain; it’s cold here, but it’s not as tough as in Syria.”
Speaking through an interpreter, she said it was a hard journey from Syria to Lebanon, from where the United Nations organised their move to Ireland.
What was most difficult for her was leaving two daughters and grandchildren behind.
“I want a good future for my kids, I don’t want them to live in war and destruction. It was a tough decision, but we had to get away,” she said.
“I haven’t seen my grandchildren in five years . . . my only hope is to get them over here.”
Marwan al-Saleem came to Ireland late last year with his wife and two young children.
“To leave our relatives and parents is very difficult, but we found another country.
“We found welcoming people, so we are all very happy. We like the simplicity of the people; they are very good with us.”
He has hearing problems and damage to his left hand, having been shot during the conflict, he said. All of those at the hotel have some medical needs.
“If we could get medical help we would be so thankful, otherwise everything is very fine,” he said.
Husband and wife Muaamar al-Darkazli and Asmaa al-Anssari, from Iraq, who arrived with their two children last September, also wished to convey their gratitude.
“The Irish people, you are like my country, you have a warmth like in my country,” Mr al-Darkazli said, speaking through his wife.
The family left Iraq after an attack on their home.
“Some people come in my house and want to kill my family because we helped other people in my area,” Ms al-Anssari said.
She said one of their relatives had been killed and they were very frightened, but they feel safe now that they are in Ireland.
They expect to move to Tralee, Co Kerry, in February.
The intercultural event, organised by the Kildare Volunteer Centre, was attended by local families and residents from the hotel.
Dancing with gusto
A poem on the war in Syria, read in Arabic by a young boy from the centre and in English by a local girl, was followed by energetic Irish dancing by children from St Paul’s Secondary School and the Michelle Morrissey School of Dance.
The highlight of the event was an enthusiastic version of the Arabic dance the Dubka, performed with gusto by a dozen men and women from the hotel, to much applause from the audience.
The evening ended with tea and cake, before the refugee families were bused from the community hall back to the hotel.
Mick Power, manager at Kildare Volunteer Centre, said the evening's event was about the Monasterevin community wanting to welcome the refugees.
“We wanted to help facilitate that,” he said.
The centre, based in Newbridge, manages a socialisation programme for Hazel Hotel residents to help them assimilate.
“The response we have had from all over the country has been amazing, we had to get a warehouse to store the amount of stuff we actually got,” he said.
Last year's RTÉ gardener of the year, Brian Burke, has designed a Damascus courtyard for the families for contemplation, Mr Power said.
It will be built beside the hotel. Plants, concrete, paving slabs and time have all been donated.
Mr Power said: “We’ve been very lucky.”
Owen Houlihan and Margaret Dempsey, volunteers who work with the refugees, said the residents of Hazel Hotel are keen to work.
“The women, a lot of them have children and they are okay, but you really get the sense the men are desperate to get a job and be living in their own home and have independence,” Ms Dempsey said.
