Eritrean wants to help refugees settle in Germany via cycling

(AFP) For Zerai Kiron Abraham, who fled Eritrea in 1990 to settle in Germany, the refugees flooding Europe don't need pity, but to be seen as real people with dreams and ambitions of their own.

"I want to use positive images to draw attention to the situation of the refugees," says the 38-year-old, who lives in Frankfurt and is brimming with ideas about how to help his countrymen integrate themselves into their new host country.

One such project is Team AfriQa, a team of Eritrean racing cyclists based in Frankfurt. 

Cycling is a national sport in Eritrea, where countless thousands are fleeing a bloody and repressive dictatorship on long and perilous journeys across the Mediterranean.

Abraham sees Team AfriQa as a place where exiled athletes can take up their sport again in Germany and win back their self-esteem. 

"Team AfriQa has helped me find hope again and make new friends with people who share my dream," says Filmon Negasi, 17, who arrived in Germany last year after a dangerous 18-month odyssey through Sudan, Libya and Italy. 

Nearly 5,000 Eritreans have applied for asylum in Germany since the beginning of the year, interior ministry statistics show. 

And Germany is expecting to see a record influx of 800,000 asylum-seekers this year in what Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel sees as the biggest challenge facing Europe's economic powerhouse since unification 25 years ago.

Crowdfunding project

In order to raise 7,500 euros to purchase 10 racing bikes and other equipment for Team AfriQa, Abraham set up on a crowdfunding website, fairplaid.org. He is also looking for sponsors. 

Team AfriQa "won't win the Tour de France" but it could become a professional team, Abraham says. 

And his ideas don't stop there. 

In 2005, he set up Project Moses to give Eritrean refugees access to language courses, help with school and administrative support.

"Refugees need access to education, culture and work," he said. 

He also wants to set up an "Ubuntu Haus" in the centre of Frankfurt, a name taken from the Zulu word for "humanity" and "charity".

The house would be a cafe, an art gallery and a space for different workshops and seminars. Around 60 percent of its employees would be refugees and part of its proceeds would go to help finance other projects. 

It would be a space where people could meet on equal terms.

Since he arrived in Frankfurt 25 years ago, the situation had changed a lot for refugees, Abraham said. 

Back then, for example, it was years before his mother was allowed to work, whereas now, arrivals are given work permits after a matter of months. 

'Not doing enough'

Germany and Sweden are the countries that will take the largest number of refugees, but Abraham believes that Berlin could "still do even more". 

"We're living in a prosperous country," he says gravely. 

"No country in the world is doing enough." 

Refugees may have fled the terror of their home countries, but they cannot live a fear-free existence in Germany, where refugee centres have been increasingly targeted and xenophobia is on the rise.

Abraham has also been active on social media in trying to explain to Germans the plight in which refugees find themselves in a new and sometimes hostile environment. 

He even staged a "treasure hunt" on Twitter, offering clues as to where he had hidden 50-euro notes at locations around Frankfurt. 

"If people in a wealthy country such as Germany are prepared to brave the freezing cold for hours on end just to find 50 euros, then they should understand why we undertake the journey to Europe when our lives and our freedom are under threat," he told the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung at the time.

"It's perfectly normal to want a bit of happiness. I'm sad that some people here forget that," he said.

See also the Facebook Page: Refugees on the Move

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