As World refugee day approaches, I feel this would be the best time to share one man’s story. It is a story of hope, loss, and perseverance.
“This is a story of how the human spirit can come alive even in the darkest of hours.” – LM Ras
This is the story of Saeed Mohamed, a refugee who found not only solace and support from strangers but a newfound purpose in the kindness bestowed upon him by local individuals during his darkest hours.
As refugees flee their homelands in search of safety and stability, they often encounter numerous challenges, navigating unfamiliar territories while grappling with the scars of their past.
Yet, for some, their experience takes an unexpected turn, as the empathy and compassion they receive from locals ignite a fire within them—a desire to give back and offer a helping hand to those who find themselves on a similar path.
This is where stories of hope, resilience and compassion emerge.
It is within this tapestry that we find individuals, who after seeking refuge themselves, go on to make a profound difference in the lives of others.
In this article, we have the privilege of delving into Saeed Mohamed’s remarkable journey. From recounting the challenges that he faced during his own displacement, to the profound impact that the local people had on his life, we will explore how his experiences have shaped his mission to uplift and empower other refugees.
“If we lose hope, we lose our way. When we came here, South Africans gave us a home. Now (I ask myself) what can we do for them?”
Through sharing his story and engaging in acts of compassion, Saeed embodies the transformative cycle of receiving kindness and paying it forward.
Saeed’s Story Begins…
Saeed fled Somalia’s civil war as a 17-year-old back in 1991. In the years since, he has built a successful career as a banker and now considers himself part of a community of Somali businesspeople who found refuge in South Africa.
A group of these businesspeople launched a care and compassion campaign as the national lockdown began in late March, which was designed to help people who were likely to struggle under the strict stay-at-home conditions.
Saeed is at the heart of this operation, fuelled by memories of his flight from Somalia and the kindness he experienced when he arrived in South Africa.
“People gave us food and a place to sleep. I remember this very clearly.”
They started by distributing masks, hand sanitiser and food parcels to residents of informal settlements in Pretoria and Johannesburg, then moved on to other parts of the country.
Paying It Forward
It was seeing a disabled child playing in the neighbourhood that inspired Saeed to start the campaign. Like so many families in South Africa, the child’s family relied on a daily wage from small businesses, eventually forced to close under the lockdown rules.
After seeing the child play, Saeed went to a local store and filled up a trolley with food for the child’s family, hoping to alleviate their struggle for a while. But he knew that more was needed. He called for a meeting with his fellow business community and from there, the campaign was born.
South Africa’s lockdown, like others around the world, has been particularly tough on people in informal work. Despite its status as one of the wealthier African nations, around 30 per cent of South Africans are out of regular work. During lockdown, it wasn’t long before the residents of the country’s townships and shack towns began to struggle as well.
Refugees and asylum-seekers needing help to buy food and pay rent completely overwhelmed the toll-free helpline of the UN Refugee Agency in lockdown’s first week.
By the end of May, over 3,000 people had called in, and over 95 per cent of them had lost their source of income and faced hunger or eviction.
The government provides assistance and grants to thousands of individuals and businesses, but other groups, such as asylum-seekers, insufficiently documented refugees, irregular migrants and the homeless are excluded.
Saeed’s campaign targets these groups and has assisted thousands of families in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces.
His friend, Amin, arrived in South Africa as a teenager ten years ago, excelled in school and attended university, thanks to the DAFI scholarship for refugees.
He now runs the biggest of his family’s wholesale outlets in Pretoria, which doubles as one of the five major distribution points for the campaign in the Gauteng province.
On distribution days, Amin and his team head to low-income areas to distribute food parcels, to both South Africans and foreigners, including the homeless.
“I think about how we survived fleeing Somalia, how we survived the war. We are lucky, and now we want to give back.”
Across South Africa, this spirit of generosity is bubbling to the surface, with refugees and South Africans alike standing together in solidarity.
If you would like to read about World Refugee Day, then please click here:
Hope for the Hopeless
As World refugee day approaches, I feel this would be the best time to share one man’s story. It is a story of hope, loss, and perseverance.
“This is a story of how the human spirit can come alive even in the darkest of hours.” – LM Ras
This is the story of Saeed Mohamed, a refugee who found not only solace and support from strangers but a newfound purpose in the kindness bestowed upon him by local individuals during his darkest hours.
As refugees flee their homelands in search of safety and stability, they often encounter numerous challenges, navigating unfamiliar territories while grappling with the scars of their past.
Yet, for some, their experience takes an unexpected turn, as the empathy and compassion they receive from locals ignite a fire within them—a desire to give back and offer a helping hand to those who find themselves on a similar path.
This is where stories of hope, resilience and compassion emerge.
It is within this tapestry that we find individuals, who after seeking refuge themselves, go on to make a profound difference in the lives of others.
In this article, we have the privilege of delving into Saeed Mohamed’s remarkable journey. From recounting the challenges that he faced during his own displacement, to the profound impact that the local people had on his life, we will explore how his experiences have shaped his mission to uplift and empower other refugees.
“If we lose hope, we lose our way. When we came here, South Africans gave us a home. Now (I ask myself) what can we do for them?”
Through sharing his story and engaging in acts of compassion, Saeed embodies the transformative cycle of receiving kindness and paying it forward.
Saeed’s Story Begins…
Saeed fled Somalia’s civil war as a 17-year-old back in 1991. In the years since, he has built a successful career as a banker and now considers himself part of a community of Somali businesspeople who found refuge in South Africa.
A group of these businesspeople launched a care and compassion campaign as the national lockdown began in late March, which was designed to help people who were likely to struggle under the strict stay-at-home conditions.
Saeed is at the heart of this operation, fuelled by memories of his flight from Somalia and the kindness he experienced when he arrived in South Africa.
“People gave us food and a place to sleep. I remember this very clearly.”
They started by distributing masks, hand sanitiser and food parcels to residents of informal settlements in Pretoria and Johannesburg, then moved on to other parts of the country.
Paying It Forward
It was seeing a disabled child playing in the neighbourhood that inspired Saeed to start the campaign. Like so many families in South Africa, the child’s family relied on a daily wage from small businesses, eventually forced to close under the lockdown rules.
After seeing the child play, Saeed went to a local store and filled up a trolley with food for the child’s family, hoping to alleviate their struggle for a while. But he knew that more was needed. He called for a meeting with his fellow business community and from there, the campaign was born.
South Africa’s lockdown, like others around the world, has been particularly tough on people in informal work. Despite its status as one of the wealthier African nations, around 30 per cent of South Africans are out of regular work. During lockdown, it wasn’t long before the residents of the country’s townships and shack towns began to struggle as well.
Refugees and asylum-seekers needing help to buy food and pay rent completely overwhelmed the toll-free helpline of the UN Refugee Agency in lockdown’s first week.
By the end of May, over 3,000 people had called in, and over 95 per cent of them had lost their source of income and faced hunger or eviction.
The government provides assistance and grants to thousands of individuals and businesses, but other groups, such as asylum-seekers, insufficiently documented refugees, irregular migrants and the homeless are excluded.
Saeed’s campaign targets these groups and has assisted thousands of families in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces.
His friend, Amin, arrived in South Africa as a teenager ten years ago, excelled in school and attended university, thanks to the DAFI scholarship for refugees.
He now runs the biggest of his family’s wholesale outlets in Pretoria, which doubles as one of the five major distribution points for the campaign in the Gauteng province.
On distribution days, Amin and his team head to low-income areas to distribute food parcels, to both South Africans and foreigners, including the homeless.
“I think about how we survived fleeing Somalia, how we survived the war. We are lucky, and now we want to give back.”
Across South Africa, this spirit of generosity is bubbling to the surface, with refugees and South Africans alike standing together in solidarity.
If you would like to read about World Refugee Day, then please click here:
World Refugee Day 2023
“People escaping violence or persecution must be able to cross borders safely. They must not face discrimination at borders or be unfairly denied refugee status or asylum due to their race, religion, gender, or country of origin.” – UN Secretary-General António Guterres
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls on the 20th of June each year and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
Together, we can work to end the refugee crisis and find homes for displaced people worldwide.
Below are 10 shocking facts on the global refugee crisis:
The number of displaced people surpassed 100 million for the first time ever.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) revealed on May 23 that the number of people who have been forcibly displaced worldwide has reached a “staggering” milestone, with 100 million people now displaced globally for the first time on record.
If all forcibly displaced people formed their own country, it would be the 14th largest nation in the world.
With 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, that’s equivalent to the 14th most populated country in the world. Countries that have a similar-sized population include Egypt (102 million) and Vietnam (97 million).
Refugees wait an average of 20 years to be resettled and assimilated.
That’s 20 years of detachment and waiting for your new life to begin. Nobody becomes and remains a refugee because they want to, it’s an identity of survival, of abandoning your past life to avoid death.
85% of refugees are hosted in developing countries.
While wealthy countries have far more resources to host and assist refugees, the vast majority of refugees worldwide are taken in by developing countries. This is often the result of close proximity to crisis zones, meaning refugees end up in these countries after fleeing across the closest borders.
But the fact that these host countries don’t turn away refugees makes them exceptional compared to developed countries.
Turkey hosts the most refugees globally with 3.7 million, followed by Colombia, Uganda, Pakistan, and Germany.
The bulk of Turkey’s refugee population comes from Syria, which has suffered from more than a decade of civil war. Colombia’s refugees come largely from Venezuela, Uganda’s from South Sudan, Pakistan’s from Afghanistan, and Germany’s from Syria.
This UN data does not yet take into account the 3.4 million refugees being hosted in Poland.
South Africa is host to 266,700 refugees and asylum seekers.
Approximately 30 per cent are from Somalia, 29 per cent from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 20 per cent from Ethiopia, with the remainder mostly from Zimbabwe and the Republic of the Congo.
Half of the world’s refugees are children.
Nearly 13 million refugees are under the age of 18.
Nearly half of all refugee children remain out of school.
Refugee children are more likely to attend primary school, but attendance rates plummet when it comes to secondary school and beyond due to a lack of resources and social pressure to drop out.
The decade-long war in Syria has generated 5.7 million refugees.
Syrian refugees have fled the country and sought refuge in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and beyond. An additional 6.7 million people have been displaced within Syria, and a total of 13.4 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.
Should you wish to get involved and donate to a worthy cause, then you can get in touch with the following NGO by clicking on the link below:
https://www.scalabrini.org.za/contact/
If you would like to read about refugees from an insiders perspective, then please click here:
Last updated stats done by the UN on the 27th of October 2022.
The Longest Bridge in Africa
Tanzania has unveiled ambitious plans to construct what would be by far the largest bridge in Africa, a 50km structure connecting the mainland to the Zanzibar islands to boost trade.
The country has been looking to diversify the economy of the Zanzibar islands, home to 1.6m people, which depends mainly on tourism.
Deputy Works and transport minister Godfrey Kasekenya said the government was talking to prospective Chinese investors about plans to finance a 50km bridge between the coastal city of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Outside of tourism, the island’s economy almost exclusively revolves around agriculture and fishing. The principal commodities produced on the island are cassava, sweet potatoes, rice, corn, plantains, citrus fruit, cloves, coconuts and cacao.
Currently, Egypt boasts Africa’s longest bridge in Cairo, which spans 20.5km, but the new project would be more than double that in length.
Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has made boosting trade with the rest of the continent, and taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement a priority for her administration.
She has promised to improve trade relations between Tanzania and other East African countries, as well as create better trading links with countries in areas like West Africa.
According to the state newspaper The Citizen, the Tanzanian government is discussing potential investment with China Overseas Engineering Group (COVEC).
So far, the government has given no indication of when construction might begin. However, Tanzania has been mooting the idea of creating a bridge to connect Dar es Salaam with Zanzibar since 2020.
Tanzania is also in discussions with Kenya about building a rail link between the two countries to reduce trade barriers. It is also seeking proposals to design and build an electrified railway to connect with Burundi that will pass through the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Citizen newspaper noted that the Zanzibar government said that it had yet to receive an official communication regarding the construction of the bridge.
Economists have warned that the government should conduct cost-benefit analyses before embarking on a potentially expensive mega project to ensure that the economic benefits will pay off.
For more interesting topics, please click HERE.
Banking Challenges when Relocating to a Foreign Country
Hi there,
My name is Lize-Mari Ras.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a captivating webinar that delved into the tricky world of banking challenges faced by expats.
As an individual who has first-hand experience with the complexities of managing finances while living abroad, I eagerly participated in the virtual event, hoping to gain valuable insights and practical solutions.
The webinar proved to be an enlightening and informative experience, shedding light on the unique hurdles faced by expats when navigating the banking systems of their host countries.
One of the guest speakers, Bhavya Shah, from Bank One, covered some interesting topics about these challenges.
One of the questions that stood out to me was:
“What will happen to my pension when relocating? Can an expat still contribute to their existing plan while based in another country? How does this affect tax relief on one’s contributions?”
Bhavya’s response to this question:
“This is a notoriously difficult subject unfortunately with no simple answers.
Most state pension schemes as well as most local private pension schemes generally require some form of residency, making it hard for expats to continue contributing once they move.
Also, expat packages often do not include any local pension contributions, making it imperative for an individual to identify the right alternatives for their retirement needs. These could range from suitable investment solutions, insurance solutions and/or offshore pension schemes that provide many similar benefits.
As an expat who has built up pension plans in different countries, the main issue generally tends to relate to taxation. Assuming a nice pension pot has been built over the years which you now want to use, the country where the pension was earned and the country where you plan to spend it can have varying tax rules with the lump-sum and/or the annuity may be taxable, eroding some of its core value. This is why it requires very careful planning, and one needs to consider your unique situation, there is no one-size-fits-all solution unfortunately.
And as enriching and exciting as an expat opportunity tends to be, it is critical to fully understand pension implications and properly plan for future requirements as the options are not that straightforward. Bank One is happy to refer our Elite Offshore customers to expat pension specialists who can help sort it out this major challenge for their unique needs.”
I was blown away by this answer, I tried Googling this question in hopes of coming up with a more detailed solution, but after listening in on this webinar, it truly was a revelation as to how important it was to leave these major banking challenges to experts, like Bank One.
Relocation Africa works with banks like Bank One to assist with opening bank accounts for expatriates seamlessly, if your business has expatriates in Africa and looking for solutions, please contact info@relocationafrica.com to see how we can help your expats population.