Select a language for this section:
Tuesday 23, July 2013
HUMENNÉ, 23 July (UNHCR) – The emergency transit centre (ETC) in Humenné has welcomed 138 new refugees in July, providing a crucial safe haven for some of the world’s most vulnerable people until they can be resettled to third countries.
Fifty-nine Somali refugees, mainly families with small children, arrived in Humenné on Thursday (18 July) from Eritrea where they had previously been living in precarious conditions. Seventy-nine Afghan refugees, mainly women and children, previously staying in Iran where they faced serious difficulties arrived to Humenné on 6th, 7th and 13th of July. The new arrivals joined several other refugees from Ethiopia, Sudan and Afghanistan bringing the total number of refugees in the ETC to 142 – a record high since the centre opened in 2009.
Typically, the refugees spend up to six months in Humenné’s ETC which provides safe conditions while they undergo interviews and other procedures required for resettlement to third countries like the United States, Canada or Norway. All the evacuees must pass health inspections within the first 30 days of their arrival just like asylum-seekers who arrive spontaneously in the Slovak Republic. They can then move freely around the city of Humenne and beyond when accompanied by a social worker.
Just a few days after his arrival, one of the centre’s new Somali residents is praising the pleasant weather of his new temporary home.
“Trust me, this not what we call heat in Africa. I used to add cubes of ice in the water to wash and refresh myself several times per day. I am really enjoying the cold weather and fresh air in Slovakia,” Mohammed Ali Gesi said. The 30 degree days – hot for Central Europe – are a sharp contrast for the 68-year-old Somali who spent thirteen years in an Eritrean refugee camp where daily temperatures routinely reached 45 degrees celsius.
Another new arrival, 21-year-old Nasimeh* from Afghanistan, wants to focus on improving her English language skills in the safe and calm environment before travelling on to a third country. “I wish I could study at university and become somebody not just an ordinary woman in a crowd of millions,” said young woman who is already head of her family – taking care of her three sisters – having lost both her parents.
The fourth tripartite agreement on the ETC was signed on 24 June 2013 between the Slovak government, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since it opened in 2009, 369 refugees found temporary safety at the ETC in Humenné before moving on to third countries to rebuild their lives. Nine children have been born there. The centre can accommodate up to 150 refugees, and currently hosts 142 people.
The Slovak Ministry of Interior provides accommodation, food and hygiene items to the refugees during their stay in Humenne, UNHCR pays for health care and social services like language, vocational, and computer training, while IOM is responsible for transport to and from the centre. The refugees are cared for by a team of skilled professionals including a UNHCR field officer, teachers, nurses, a general practitioner and pediatric specialist, and interpreters.
The ETC has a library with internet access and a gym with various sports facilities for refugees, including football, volleyball, tennis, and table tennis. There is a nursery for children under seven and school for those up to 16 years of age.
*Name changed for protection reasons.
By Gabriela Dunajčíková in Bratislava and Lucia Kolpakova in Humenné, Slovakia
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter