As thousands of refugees attempt to cross into the European bloc, fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries, many of them are still unsure as to whether they will ever make it to Europe.
After months of traveling from their destroyed home towns by land and by sea, hundreds of thousands of refugees are still awaiting a humanitarian solution to their future.
Sputnik spoke to some of the refugees currently located in Serbia.
Twenty-five-year-old Ambran came from Syria. He left three years ago because of the war. He went to Lebanon and then to Jordan where he worked in an organization which helps refugees. There he met his wife, with whom he is now traveling to Germany where he hopes to start a new life. He has relatives in Germany and with their help he wants to finish his education in business management and start earning for his family.
“In my country there are many problems: shootings, bombings, kidnapping of children. I left two of my sisters and a brother there and I hope they will join me in Germany. I lost my mother during the Syrian war.”
“We are traveling from Afghanistan to Europe because we want a better life. We had many problems at the Iranian border, some of them are still stuck at the border and some of them have died there. In the last few days we have received some good news from the borders of Hungary. We heard that the border is open for us and we hope it stays open,” Arif told Sputnik radio during an interview.
He continued by saying that the Taliban killed many of his friends either at home, in office or on the road. He told Sputnik that he left his country without food, money or anything at all. “I told myself, I need to get out of there so that I can save my brothers and sisters.”
For those who successfully survive the dangers of the road, border closures and make it to Germany, new challenges await them there.
“People in Serbia are very kind and have helped the refugees a lot. They are good people,” Haroon said. But he too is traveling to Germany where he feels there are more opportunities for work.
“Life in Europe for us is not easy but it is a place where people can find a chance to survive away from death and war. People like us have nothing and we are traveling to Europe for survival.”
Since January, around 350,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in Europe and its neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The number of Syrian refugees in countries that border Syria exceeds four million, almost two million of whom are in Turkey, over 1.1 million in Lebanon and 630,000 in Jordan.