Warm welcome for people who've lost everything

Everyone who finds themselves as a refugee in Larnaca, Cyprus, wonders what their life has come to. Whether they’ve left their countries due to conflict, persecution, regime change or mortal threat to their lives, their desire is one and the same: “I just wish I could go back home”.

Arrival in Cyprus means starting at zero. The refugees journeying to Larnaca are from diverse backgrounds, but mostly come from countries in conflict-riven parts of Africa and the Middle East. That means arriving in a place with a language you don’t speak and a new culture to learn, with complex systems to navigate as you struggle to access medical care, find a job and secure accommodation outside the transit camps. It’s no wonder many refugees end up sleeping rough on Larnaca’s beaches, unable to move forward or backwards – stuck.

The odds are piled against families like Baseer and Nadia’s. The couple fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Having worked for the American-backed government put Baseer and his family in immediate danger, but, while life in Larnaca is safer, it’s certainly not easy. The couple have two young daughters and are living in temporary housing. Nadia has around fifteen message threads on her phone with potential landlords who stopped replying once they found out she was a refugee. Many people in Cyprus are incredibly kind to asylum seekers – but discrimination is still rife. And for people like Baseer and Nadia, it sets them back again and again when all they want to do is live a safe and happy life.

When you’ve lost everything, it’s unspeakably hard to pick yourself back up. And yet, despite the challenges they face, Baseer and Nadia have found reasons to keep going. Today, they’re here at the BMS-supported refugee centre, where they always find a warm welcome. Nadia is bright and bubbly, having just finished a craft session in a room with sewing machines provided by BMS supporters. Her eldest daughter is at school and the littlest one is running around, darting between the sewing room and the play area outside. Baseer is volunteering at the refreshment table outside, placed there for refugees coming to access the clothing distribution and food bank. It’s in a patch of golden sunlight and he’s laughing with a group of other Afghan men. It’s a little picture of what the centre gives to people: a sense of belonging.

The BMS-supported centre provides material help to refugees in myriad ways. There are the public health classes that support women with UTIs, a serious problem in transit camps, and the food and clothing support. There’s a mother and baby group, and help with processing paperwork for people making asylum claims. Free English and Greek classes are on offer, as well as a women’s empowerment group. And there’s plenty more besides.

The result is even more beautiful than the sum of its parts. The centre has given people like Baseer and Nadia a place to come, a light in their eyes, a hope for the future. Baseer considers himself to be an atheist but since experiencing Christian love at the centre, is open to coming to church. He’s also keen to use his computing degree to teach sessions in the BMS-funded computer lab at the centre. The fact that so many refugees who come to the centre want to give back as volunteers is a testament to how valuable people coming here find the support. It’s work you can keep going as a BMS supporter – and over the next few weeks we’ll be letting you know how.