“I DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP WHEN I SAW ON TV A REPORT ABOUT THE FIRST FAMILY THAT ARRIVED IN IRELAND. I TOLD MYSELF, THAT IF I COULD DO SOMETHING IN MY LIFE, SOMETHING PRACTICAL AND HUMAN, FOR A FAMILY, THEN THIS IS COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP.”
PAUL
Ireland
I visited Syria in 2009 and 2010 and I was able to see the beauty of the country and its people, the ancient city of Damascus with its impressive Umayyad mosque, the Church of São Paulo on Rua Direita, the bazaars, the cafes and above all the warm and welcoming hospitality of the people.
I mean, who is my neighbor? It is often the person we least expect. We join people when they need us. I made a list of about ten people I knew in the community. I told them: this is the idea I had, are you interested? Everyone said: of course! Like most people, we didn't have an agenda, we just wanted to help!
My role was to coordinate the group. I had to invite people to come together, coordinate the meetings and present and spread the idea to the community.
"IT IS A VERY HUMBLE EXPERIENCE TO THINK YOU CAN REALLY HELP ANOTHER HUMAN BEING."
We were delighted when we were told the family was arriving. They arrived on December 10th. We were on the bus at Dublin airport, it was very dark and Christmas was close.
It was very cold outside and the family was desolate and exhausted. I could see in their eyes that they weren't understanding what was happening. Waiting for them at home was the fire, food and some members of the group. When we arrived, the father handed me the car seat with his little daughter in his arms. She was sleeping and I took her inside.
In that moment, looking at her, I imagined her twenty years later - a grown woman, educated and confident. And I could tell her that I was there and that I carried her in my arms when she arrived in Ireland. And I could tell you about the incredible courage your parents had that night for bringing them here and for doing all this for their children.
We took the family to watch Christmas carols in town and when we arrived people gave them a big applause. People came and shook hands with them. They were all very welcoming. It was a wonderful thing to see. They were refugees who had to flee and here we were, at Christmas, welcoming them.
It's a very humble experience to think that you can really help another human being for real. With the war in Syria and seeing what was happening to people, this was my way of doing something and saying that I'm with them right now.
Education is very important - their English has improved, the children are eager to go to university and we are helping them every step of the way. Now, we're excited for the kids to start school and for us to see a whole different level of integration. I also want to take them to see national sports like hurling . I want to show them the real Ireland.
If you imagined that an Irish family was forced to go to Syria, wouldn't it be wonderful to think that a local leader in a small community somewhere would try to help and support them? When you look at things this way, you can understand that it is the humanity we have in common that connects us to each other.