Although newcomers have regularly been among us for years, citizens, politicians and policymakers often have little idea of the personal backgrounds of these people. This causes not only loneliness, misunderstanding and antagonism. A consequence is also that integration is unnecessarily hampered and that policies aimed at this are less effective than they could be. To gain more insight into backgrounds, we conducted a large number of in-depth interviews with newcomers. This is done in the context of our project in Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg in which we investigate the living situation of more than a thousand refugees and try to improve this situation with all stakeholders involved. Thanks to the Kreisverwaltung of Teltow-Fläming to make this project possible. We asked many questions: why did the people come, what was their life like before, what expectations did they have, what do they want to achieve in Germany, what are their experiences so far, what problems do they face, what solutions do they see for this? The names of those involved have been changed, as well as some place names. The interviews have been conducted in German, English, Farsi, Arabic and French and are published with the consent of those involved. At the request of the Kreisverwaltung or the interviewees some statements have been omitted here. These are mainly statements that could have put those involved or others at risk.
I am 30 years old. But I look much younger. Many people think that I ...
This interview was conducted (in English) and edited by Hans Blokland and Isabel Romijnders. I ...
When we (Isabel Romijnders and Hans Blokland) interviewed Ali, we immediately noticed that he was ...
This interview was conducted with two women who are related by marriage, the first with ...
Five years ago, everything was normal. My mother was a history teacher and my father ...
Sahba SalehiJuly 19, 2022Afghanistan,Diskriminierung,German lessons,health,integration in Germany,interviews with refugees,Iran,Krankenversicherung,memory loss,Pakistan,refugee children We conducted this interview with a couple from Afghanistan, Sharif and Arezo. They complemented telling ...
We conducted this interview in Farsi with an Iranian woman, Sahar, and her daughter, Baran. ...
I come from Cameroon. I arrived in Germany in 2018. I can’t speak about my ...
I grew up in Algeria and attended school there through the first year of university, ...
Kasra I am from Iran, 20 years old, and I have been in Germany for ...
I was born in Russia because my parents lived there, but I moved to Vietnam ...
I am from Ahvaz, province of Khuzestan in the south of Iran. I am 38 ...
I was born in Cameroon, in the city of Yaoundé. I grew up with my ...
Laila Keeling & Anjali ZylaJune 11, 2022Afghan refugees,Afghanistan,depressions,Finland,German lessons,hope,integration in Germany,racism,Russia,Taliban,work permit I was born in Afghanistan but left the country once the Taliban first took over. ...
In Chechnya we had three cows, 15 goats, a few sheep, chickens and rabbits. I ...
I have four children, three girls and one autistic boy. My oldest daughter is 25-years-old ...
I come from Northern Morocco, but I moved to Libya some years ago. In my ...
I came to Germany with my brother. In Cameroon, I worked as a hairdresser. Over ...
At 13, I came to Germany with my mother and two sisters due to circumstances. ...
Laila Keeling & Anjali ZylaMay 17, 2022asylum center,Chechnya,discrimination,German lessons,integration in Germany,interviews with refugees,Russia,school,Ukraine,working permit This interview was conducted with 14-year-old Malia and her mother Eliana, both from Chechnya. Malia ...
Laila Keeling & Anjali ZylaMay 12, 2022education,germany,illiteracy,integration in Germany,interviews with refugees,Italy,Nigeria,Sierra Leone,trauma,work I was born in Nigeria, but I left when I was a baby, so I ...
I arrived in Germany on July 1, 2019. My husband worked in the military police ...
Laila Keeling & Anjali ZylaMay 5, 2022Chechnya,day care,friendliness,German lessons,integration in Germany,interviews with refugees,IT specialist,reasons to flee,the importance of rules,trust,Ukraine,violence We want to thank Malik for being so open and willing to share his story ...
I am from Afghanistan. I was born in Iran, but my family is from Afghanistan. ...
I am 25 years old, from Afghanistan. I have been living here for about nine ...
I was born in a refugee camp in Lebanon and moved to a city called ...
We conducted this interview with a family, but separated their stories to show their different ...
As much as we believe in the importance of stories from the newcomers to be ...
Eight years I have been in Germany, and three years in the accommodation here. Before ...
I come from Russia, from Dagestan. I come from a big family; I had 8 ...
I was 17 years old when I left the Gambia. I traveled alone, leaving behind ...
I am twenty-five years old, from Afghanistan. I come from the Herat province, but not ...
I am 33 years old and have been living in Germany for more than 6 ...
I was born in Homs, Syria to a small family—it was only me and my ...
