“From being someone who was in need of support, to becoming someone who supports others, that’s a big thing for me”.
Mustafa, 24 years old, Iraq
Calm, thoughtful and attentive, Mustafa is a trusted presence for the children living in our shelters. Originally from Iraq, he made it to Greece alone in 2018, after being forced to flee his home country. He spent several months at the Moria camp on the island of Lesvos, before being transferred to one of The HOME Project shelters in Athens.
“The situation at the camp was really difficult. I came without clothes. I had nothing, only a broken phone”, he recalls. When he arrived at our shelter, everything felt unfamiliar and overwhelming. “I was very shy and I didn’t speak the language. I was in a new place, surrounded by children and people I didn’t know. I wasn’t comfortable. I didn’t sleep well at all my first night”, he says. Gradually, as he got to know the team, that initial fear began to ease. “The staff were trying to understand me and help me understand them”, he explains. “I could talk to them about my problems and they helped me with everything I needed. They always tried to find solutions”.
Over time, life in the shelter developed into a steady routine. Mustafa attended school every morning and spent his afternoons at the gym, while also taking Greek and English lessons in the shelter. On Saturdays, he attended our Youth to Youth program at ACS Athens, where he deepened his language skills, and gained basic computer knowledge. Alongside his peers, he also participated in theater classes and other creative initiatives. “It was fun”, he remembers. “They showed us how to act, how to mirror different characters, how to improvise. I liked it a lot, I have great memories from that time”.
His greatest challenge, however, was his legal case. “Getting asylum wasn’t easy, especially for Iraqis”, he clarifies. “I had two or three interviews, and it was really hard to have to share again and again what I had seen or experienced in my life. I came from war”. Thanks to the guidance and tenacity of The HOME Project legal team, he eventually succeeded. “I made it with their help”, he says simply.
When he turned 18, Mustafa moved into one of The HOME Project transitional homes for refugee youth, continued his studies, and began helping at our shelters with interpretation. What started as voluntary support soon turned into formal work. He spent three years as a night-shift caregiver before transitioning into his current role as an interpreter. Today, he supports children who face many of the same barriers he once did, offering both reassurance and motivation. “They look at me and think, ‘If he did it, maybe I can too’. I hope that my example inspires them”. What gives him hope every day is their determination. “They try”, he says. “They learn the language. They want to integrate”.
At one point, Mustafa left Greece to chase a bigger dream. He moved to The Netherlands, but did not find the support he had hoped for. “I didn’t feel good there”, he admits. “I remembered all the good things I had before, what I had left behind. That made me want to come back to Greece and to The HOME Project”.
Now, he feels firmly rooted here. “I grew up in Greece”, he highlights. “Most of what I learned, I learned through The HOME Project. I came from zero, and have already learned and done many things. Now I am one of the staff. From being someone who was in need of support, to becoming someone who supports others, that’s a big thing for me”.