Welkom in Mechelen, for and by refugees
For the first radioshow in the series Away from home. Giulia had an interview with Eva and Wannes who are both volunteers for the organisation.
If you don’t know what Welkom in Mechelen does as an organisation, listen to Eva who explains what the organisation does for refugees and newcomers.
Besides helping the newcomers with learning Dutch, they organize other activities as well. But how do the newcomers and refugees learn about the existence of the organisation?
Welkom in Mechelen works together with volunteers. The volunteers are both from Belgian and from other countries. Eva tells how you can join the organisation as a volunteer.
According to Wannes and Eva it isn’t only the activities that are important for the refugees and newcomers. It’s also important that they have a place where they can go to.
In the news you hear a lot about a refugee crisis, Wannes knows how many refugees there are in Belgium and in Mechelen. He also tells why he doesn’t think it’s an crisis. There are different reasons to flee your country, Eva explains what the main reasons are to flee.
Eva told us that one of the main reasons for people to flee their country is war. In the time of the airing of the radio show, there was a fight between the Turkish and the Kurds in Syria. Wannes and Eva tell how the organisation deals with actual situations like that and how it affects the Turkish and Kurdish people in Belgium.
If you want to learn more about the organisation or if you want to join as a volunteer, you can go to the website of Welkom in Mechelen.
Tekst: Kim Beekema, Interview: Giulia Latinne, Photo: ©Kim Beekema