Real life stories

W.A. is 55 years old and originally from Iraq. She now resides in Argeș, in the village of Budeasa.

She comes from a large family, with five brothers and many, many relatives. She grew up in an area near Basra. Her parents loved her a lot and advised her to learn in order to get to work in the city. After school, she got a job at a news agency in Basra.
"In my country, Iraq, I was a journalist, dealing with the journalistic area of women's issues, problems and their life in the community. One day, while I was in the newsroom, a bomb fell on the building, killing or injuring colleagues. I was slightly injured, but after a few days of hospitalization, I returned home, in a period in which I could no longer write. I was very scared. My husband supported me a lot, giving me, first of all, confidence that I was a fighter, and protecting me. This was happening in 2014."

She discussed with her husband the dangers of that place. She told him she wanted to leave.
"I do not think I was a coward. Instead, I was scared of dying. He understood and allowed me to leave."

Through some friends she fled the country, settling in several Arab countries, and through the relocation program, she came to Romania. She doesn't regret coming here. Her husband remained in Iraq and was captured by a rebel gang for ransom. He worked in law enforcement. For several years, she knew nothing about him. Last year she found out that he was released and that he was fine. However, her husband does not want to leave Iraq. He believes that his role is to defend his country and his people.
"It's his choice. It's hard for me without him. I'm trying to make a future here."

W.A. has a new life here, in a new country, where she is learning a new language. She is renting a house. The people who received her are also quite old. Through the institutions of the Romanian state, she managed to get a job, to be able to earn money. She works at a furniture factory and befriended her co-workers.
"They help me, support me and, most importantly, they understand that I am in a difficult situation, trying to adapt here. I also receive help from a humanitarian foundation. Life is hard, but I realize that just like me, there are other people and I want them to be well, just as I wish well for myself. Thinking like that, I feel better. "

W.A. would not want to return to her country now.
"But who knows?" New situations occur from day to day that I have to manage properly in order to be at peace with myself and satisfy those around me, with whom I get in touch.”

W.A. future plans are to have her own home and help others who are in trouble.
"Maybe in the future I will work for a foundation or for a newspaper. And now this pandemic has happened. I stayed home because the factory didn't work. I couldn't pay the rent. The people I live with understood me and still accepted me in their home. Being older than me, I helped them and continue to do so as best I can. I had to do something. If I stayed home ... I couldn't stay in vain."

Recently, W.A. returned to work, and the conditions are harsher, due to the fact that she has to follow several hygiene rules.
"With the help of Allah, we are moving forward!"