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NameDahham
Gendermale
Country of OriginSyrian Arab Republic
Destination CountryBelgium
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Dahham, originally a medical graduate from Deir Alzour, is the first Syrian doctor in Belgium to have his Syrian university degree recognized by the Belgian authorities. The longstanding struggle to have his degree homologated inspired him to help others and consequently, together with his Dutch teacher and other European friends as volunteers, started their own NGO Tandem VZW to help refugees get their qualifications acknowledged by European NGOs and to support in starting a new life in Belgium by, for example, providing specific high-quality volunteering placements and traineeships. When I was planning to leave, my whole family told me not to do so. They tried to discourage me from moving. There is a saying in Arabic that says: Without a home, you have no dignity. At the time, I was overwhelmed with fear of military service and I did not believe it. However, I now fully agree with these words. Without a home country, you truly feel like you are nothing. The main reason behind my leave was to escape the mandatory military service. At the moment everybody is fighting each other in Syria. Consequently they all want to recruit young motivated people to fight with them. I tried to delay my graduation to postpone entry into military service. I tried to help peacebuilding when it was still peaceful, but right now its all about fighting and weapons and thats not something I believe in. Together with some friends, I took the Balkan Route to come here. Last year, it was still quite accessible and organized. At one point, I was certain that we were going to die at the crossing between Turkey and Greece. The boat was starting to sink and we began to throw everything out. Everyone was so afraid, it was a really close call, but we made it. Once we arrived in Lesbos the rest of the trip went smoothly. As an immigrant, Im very grateful for the help I received in Europe. I cant imagine what wouldve happened if there had been nowhere to seek refuge when the new Syrian situation occurred. Even if my country wasnt at war, my dream was always to migrate and practice medicine somewhere else. I always wanted to go to the United States to specialize there, but unfortunately it wasnt possible. In my opinion, young people are always likely to dream of practicing their professions abroad. I think it is really logical to change places from time to time. If migration has any effect, Id say its a positive one, even though you face many obstacles along the way. I believe that migration constitutes an added value for an individual. It brings around a new life, new perspectives and new insights, a new everything. To be honest, I do miss the people back home. I'm more attached to people than to places. Even when looking back at my journey from Syria to Belgium, it was always the people I met that interested me and I still feel connected to those who helped me along the way. There were so many nice volunteers along the road and I remember them more than I remember the places I passed by. Here in Belgium, all is going well for me for now: I got my diploma recognized, I have a safe home, and I started a NGO together with my friends. Looking back on my experience, I still feel positive towards migration, although I wouldve preferred to have migrated under different circumstances. No matter what I do or how I do things, the label of refugee still sticks to me. You cannot break free of this stigma. Im full of hope for the future. This September, Ill be starting my Masters in Molecular Biology at the VUB. Im also volunteering with the EPHA (European Public Health Alliance) where I will assist the policy department on psychological counselling for people coming from war zones and following up on newcomers with non-communicable chronic diseases acquired in their countries of origin. One day, I would eventually like to go back to the country and people I consider to be my home.

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