From the UNCHR a report on what immigrant Syrian children have brought to a German village. 

In 2015, a group of Syrian refugee children saved a famous German school from disaster and breathed new life into a shrinking village. Nearly two years later, they’ve become an indispensable part of community life.

“It was no life there in Syria, we were all so scared all of the time. I just wanted peace, nothing else,” says Syrian refugee Halima Taha, 30, who fled the war at home four years ago with her husband and three children. Arriving in Germany, they volunteered to move to Golzow, a tiny village on the German-Polish border.

At the time, Halima had no idea what her family’s arrival meant to the villagers. Back then, the village’s shrinking population was bad news for Golzow’s primary school, known by film fans the world over as the setting for ‘The Children of Golzow’, an epic 42-hour documentary filmed over five decades.

Yet the school’s fame wasn’t enough to save it from the effects of a creeping decline. Over the space of eight years, Golzow’s population shrank by 12 per cent, to just 835 people. Then, in March 2015, the unthinkable happened. For the first time since it opened in 1961, the school failed to make up the pupil numbers required for a reception class.

Continue reading @ the UNCHR.

Syrian Refugees Breathe New Life Into Shrinking German Village

From the UNCHR a report on what immigrant Syrian children have brought to a German village. 

In 2015, a group of Syrian refugee children saved a famous German school from disaster and breathed new life into a shrinking village. Nearly two years later, they’ve become an indispensable part of community life.

“It was no life there in Syria, we were all so scared all of the time. I just wanted peace, nothing else,” says Syrian refugee Halima Taha, 30, who fled the war at home four years ago with her husband and three children. Arriving in Germany, they volunteered to move to Golzow, a tiny village on the German-Polish border.

At the time, Halima had no idea what her family’s arrival meant to the villagers. Back then, the village’s shrinking population was bad news for Golzow’s primary school, known by film fans the world over as the setting for ‘The Children of Golzow’, an epic 42-hour documentary filmed over five decades.

Yet the school’s fame wasn’t enough to save it from the effects of a creeping decline. Over the space of eight years, Golzow’s population shrank by 12 per cent, to just 835 people. Then, in March 2015, the unthinkable happened. For the first time since it opened in 1961, the school failed to make up the pupil numbers required for a reception class.

Continue reading @ the UNCHR.

17 comments:

  1. Hahaha! Sure. Breathed new death everywhere else mind....

    ReplyDelete
  2. DaithiOD,

    Not all refugees are mindless psychopaths, Australia has settled a fair few in regional areas which were in steady decline but are now facing brighter prospects with migrants from Somalia et al who in their previous life were farmers and the like.

    Where'd yopu expect the Syrian refugees to go when the West bombs the absolute shite out of their country as a proxy Cold War/ Israel keeping its neighbours in perpetual disharmony tactic?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steve, For a start, I might expect them to go to Israel actually, aren’t we always told it’s the sole beacon of Western liberal values in the Middle East? After that their co-religionists in Saudi Arabia,Quatar, the Emirates etc

    It sounds quite hostile and packed with ill intent to seek a home in the West because we ‘bombed the shite’ out of them as you say. It’s been shown in studies the closer a displaced person is settled to their country of origin, the better off the are. Something like 9/10 of those settled in Sweden are still unemployed, so much for doing the jobs we won’t eh?

    On a more critical note, Perhaps they shouldn’t of facilitated the transit of jihadis entering their country on route to attacking Western troops in Iraq pre-2008.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! No way known the Israelis would take them Daithi, but you are right, refugees are supposed to take refuge in the nearest friendly country. So Turkey then? As Saudi are far more intolerant than most other neighbouring countries.

      Delete
  4. Steve R

    It is Assad and the Russians (and now the Turks) who have bombed the shite of Syria, not the West.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barry,

      All this shite is a direct result of the CIA provoked 'Arab Spring'. I point the finger directly at Washington and the strong Zionist lobby there. Hell, it just makes good strategic sense for Israel to have it's surrounding neighbours all fighting among themselves rather than attacking you.

      "No one believed in the gas chambers until they marched us in, nobody believed that Munich could happen, it's time we became proactive in our defense".

      Delete
  5. BG, I imagined you would need to get a performance in on this thread. What took you so long brah?

    You are like the noble wandering sheriff(*), never getting the acknowledgement you truly deserve for the sacrifices you have made, the risks you have taken to fight for truth, justice and equality in the online xenophobic inferno.

    I’m sure deep down Anthony knew you were correct when you argued to save TPQ from the hate site it has become everyone (including himself) should be restricted to the Bates & Wilkes section, leaving just yourself access to comment.

    You can rest one day, alas that day is not today. But this means the racists in self denial cannot rest either. I think I can speak for everyone on TPQ when I say: thank you.

    (* with a dictionary, not a gun)

    ReplyDelete
  6. DaithiD- why not deal with Barry's point?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AM, he is a troll and not to be taken seriously. You feel differently I know, I sometimes think you are a little detached from the chilling effect he has on the site discourse.

    And it’s pointless saying this because you will just clutch him harder. I know all this. But still I say it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. he is anything but a troll - there is lots to be critical about in terms of what he thinks but to say he is a troll is vacuous. Rather than have a chilling effect on the site he prompts discussion and reaction.

      Delete
  8. Discussion , Except for those he played a key role in getting kicked off , Trevor, Grouch and was begging for the same for Frankie.
    This is one of those arguments I don’t want to win AM, I think the idea of you listening to anything on its own merits appeals to a higher ideal than being convinced by me on a comment section.
    But your being right has a track record of not benefitting you at all. Have you spoken to others to confirm the lack of chill so to speak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. who is Trevor?

      He didn't get Grouch expelled. Grouch got himself removed because of his bigotry vented after he seemed to lose his mind, unfortunately, during the Repeal referendum.
      He didn't chill Frankie either but you are right he had to be told about trying to silence people.
      I have not spoken to anybody else about it as no one else has raised it - not that I remember anyway.

      Delete
  9. AM, how many times have you seen people write back “you are not even dealing with my points” to him. He hijacks a thread to call others a racist, and then ducks out. As I’ve just relayed to you, I wouldn’t waste any productive part of the day dealing with his trivia.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ps Trevor was someone I emailed you about when he was banned , it was quite a big build up to him being banned, I just can’t find the email I sent you because I think I asked if “he” is going to Bates and Wilkes for one comment or the for ever over some anti Jew stuff, you replied for ever. Of course BG was there to never let the matter drop, is he a crypto Jew? It makes no sense, he should know defending this bollix is a thankless, intellectual dead end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trevor is not a common name and I don't recall anybody posting under it here. At the same time I don't remember you writing so I could be wrong on both counts!

      Delete
    2. once in the sewer there is no way back whereas Bates & Wilkes is three strikes before you are out.

      Delete
  11. Sorry AM,
    It was MurrayD not Trevor! Wonder how I mangled that one

    ReplyDelete