A group of 50 refugees from Yemen who landed at Košice airport on 19 July 2012 will spend 6 months in Slovakia. The Slovak Republic provided the refugees with a temporary shelter on its territory, the refugees will be accommodated in the asylum facility of the Ministry of Interior in Humenné and they will be gradually resettled to the United States of America. Zahra is also in the group of refugees who will spend half a year of their lives in Slovakia.

The photo is for illustrative purposes only, IOM Slovakia

Zahra was born in Eritrea where she worked in a state sector until 1993. It is clear that Zahra is well-educated and she starts speaking about her fate in fluent English. „In 1993 Eritrea was confronted with serious problems and there was nothing left for me but leave my country.“ She followed the suit of thousands of other refugees and escaped to Yemen on a boat. Zahra is Christian and due to her religion, being different from the majority Muslim one, she encountered many problems in Yemen. For years she had lived in the capital Sanaa in a small rented apartment, „the size of a kettle“, remembers Zahra with a bitter smile on her face. Sometimes she would earn money by doing small jobs, but she never had stable work for more than 2-3 months and so lived in permanent instability. Resettlement to the United States is a chance for a new life for her as well. Transit centre in Humenné is a midway stop on her journey. „I’m happy to be here, there is peace here, no bombs exploding on the streets, I finally don’t feel any fear.“ She learns to work on computer in the camp and she would like to improve her English and find a decent job after arriving to the USA. „First you learn the language, then you find work – that is the order of America“, Zahra explains with a peaceful smile and determined expression.

The Slovak Republic provided a temporary shelter on its territory to the refugees for a period of 6 months based on a trilateral treaty between the Government of the Slovak Republic, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and IOM signed on 21 June 2012. IOM is responsible for the transportation of refugees from the refugee camp to the Slovak Republic and from the Slovak Republic to the country of resettlement, as well as for security interviews, medical examinations and cultural orientation courses aimed at preparing the refugees for life in a new country. A successful completion of these steps means a new beginning in the United States of America.

(Names were changed for protection reasons.)

The activities of IOM in this project are financed by the US Government through its USRAP Program – United States Refugee Admissions Program.