Tales of hope as asylum seekers find compassion in Austria

wholesale jerseys Since Austria opened its borders two weeks ago, tens of thousands of exhausted asylum seekers have flooded through the capital, most on their way to Germany. wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys "The Macedonians and Hungarians beat us with sticks, but the Austrians are so kind. They clapped and smiled when we arrived," Mohammed says in halting English. cheap nfl jerseys The couple hope to eventually reach Denmark, where several of Fatima's family members are already settled. "If she didn't have family there," Mohammed says, "we would love to stay in Austria". "People have helped us cheap jerseys here, fed us and given us a place to sleep tonight until our train cheap jerseys leaves in the morning. We are very grateful."Syrian refugees Mohammed and Fatima, who fled their home in Damascus and are hoping to join relatives already living in Denmark, sit on a bench in Vienna. (Kim Traill) 'You are safe': Words that elicit tearsWelcome posters at the end of the train platform detail services on offer for the newcomers in English and Arabic. Cheap Jerseys from china The final words "you are safe" cheap nfl jerseys elicit tears from those who stop to read it. Cheap Jerseys from china cheap jerseys For most, their journey thus far has been a horrific ordeal. cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys free shipping cheap nfl jerseys On Saturday alone, wholesale jerseys 6,600 people crossed the Austrian Hungarian border at Nickelsdorf by 8pm. Between 3,000 and 5,000 more were expected overnight. Cheap Jerseys free shipping Austrian Federal Railways has been running additional trains daily and the Austrian armed forces are providing buses to transport people to Vienna and beyond. Moved by the human tragedy unfolding in their city, thousands of Austrians are opening their hearts, wallets and homes to the asylum seekers. Cheap Jerseys from china At Westbahnhof, volunteers from Caritas push supermarket trolleys along the train platforms, offering fruit, sandwiches and bottled water. Cheap Jerseys from china cheap jerseys Others dole out hot meals on paper plates. A note on cheap nfl jerseys the station wall offers clothes washing services to anyone who needs it. Locals invite whole families back to their homes to stay. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys from china cheap jerseys Inside the station, cheap nfl jerseys more volunteers sit in a mound of plush toys playing with asylum seeker children, blowing bubbles, strumming guitars. wholesale jerseys from china Cheap Jerseys from china Mothers sift through piles of items donated by locals, picking out whatever they need sanitary items, clothing, toys. Until now the children have seen few smiling faces on their journeys. (Kim Traill) Cheap Jerseys from china 'We have nothing, but we are alive'Bilo has been enthusiastically helping the Dari speakers amongst the incoming masses. Now 18, he fled Afghanistan four years ago. After a torturous 12 month journey of his own through Iran, Turkey and the Balkans he finally reached the safety of Austria. He has been coming here to the Westbahnhof cheap jerseys every day since the first trainload arrived just over a week ago. wholesale jerseys from china "There are a lot of Afghans, but mostly there are Arabic speakers from Syria, Iraq and some Palestinians. There are also Kurds and even some Urdu speakers from Pakistan," Bilo tells me in fluent German wholesale jerseys from china.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tales from the Morgue

Talented K9 Parties For Dogs

Taliban shooting survivor describes journey from schoolgirl to activist in 'I Am Malala'