Caritas Denmark
Maria Krabbe Hammershøy
Caritas Georgia
Anahit Mkhoyan
Caritas Germany
Lisa Schüler
Caritas Hellas (Greece)
Maria Alverti
Caritas Italy
Silvia Sinibaldi
SCIAF (Caritas Scotland)
Mark Adams
Caritas Slovakia
Juraj Barat
Treasurer
Alexander Bodmann
Caritas Vienna
Youth representative
Luka Oven
Caritas Slovenia
Beyond Safia’s impressive career progression, her new life hasn’t been just about work. Naturally outgoing and sociable, she quickly formed deep friendships in Milan. After two years in the Caritas run reception centre, she moved in with two other young Afghan refugees. In their shared apartment, she once again hears and speaks her native Dari at the end of the day.
Safia’s story is more than a tale of escape — it’s a powerful symbol of quiet resistance and transformation. With the courage to defy oppression and the strength to embrace freedom, she has turned trauma into opportunity and loneliness into a new beginning. Safia continues to move forward without ever letting go of her identity or values.
In 2024, an unexpected dream came true: Pout was selected for the Italian National Refugee Football Team to compete in the Unity Euro Cup in Geneva. Wearing the blue jersey, he represented Italy with pride, emotion and deep gratitude. After the tournament, he told his teammates it was one of the most powerful and moving experiences of his life. Pout’s journey is one of resilience and transformation. One moment brings his story full circle: years ago, UNHCR welcomed Pout and his family at a refugee camp in Ethiopia. A decade later, the same organisation welcomed him again — this time in Geneva, as a professional intern. A circle completed, and a future reimagined.
Eugénie and Innocent have now experienced all the seasons in Aalst, and in winter they were as delighted by the first snow as their children. “Winter felt like a fridge — so cold,” Innocent says. “And when it snowed, I went outside just to feel the snowflakes!”
Isaro Miguela is now three years old and goes to preschool. “She’s learning Dutch really well,” says Innocent. “Her favourite word is ‘no’.” Innocent is also taking Dutch lessons, and Eugénie will start soon. “Otherwise, I won’t understand my own daughter anymore!” she jokes.
On the wall of their small apartment hangs a large photo of the people from the welcome group. “They help us with everything,” says Innocent. “The paperwork especially is hard for us. We feel like people who’ve woken up in a new life!”
They don’t talk much about what they left behind in Rwanda or the problems in Congo. “We do sometimes call our family,” Innocent says. “But we don’t follow the news from Congo anymore. We did enough of that. We are here now.”
And here, in Belgium, is where he wants to build his future. “I would love to become a truck driver,” he says. The traffic jams on the highways don’t bother him, he claims. At the end of the conversation, he wants to ask us a question. “Is it too ambitious?” he wants to know. “Do you think I could become a truck driver?”.
Barwako, like her parents, faced challenges. While she was diligent and disciplined at school, she struggled to make friends. Her illness isolated her; she could only eat liquid foods and usually ate alone in her room to avoid being seen. At last, she was able to undergo surgeries to reconstruct her palate and gradually separate her lips. Though in hospital, those stays gave her a rare sense of connection and hope, and she made friends during those two months of recovery. Sadly, her medical report revealed she suffers from a chronic autoimmune disease that will likely worsen over time. However, there have also been moments of joy for the family, such as the birth of a sixth child, a symbol of hope and trust in their new life in Italy. The family gradually gained more independence.
After five years in Ragusa, Barwako and her family moved on to continue their journey elsewhere in Italy. They left with deep gratitude for the support they had received
