Raber – an athlete, a volunteer, a fighter for life

Ελληνικά

Raber Ismael, 29, a Kurd from northern Iraq who was born with a disability, has been living in Cyprus as a recognised refugee for more than three years. He loves to train in track and field and aspires to compete in games one day. He’s studying Greek and wishes to continue his education. Meanwhile, he volunteers his time to help others because giving back makes him happy.

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After fleeing the fighting, the family moved multiple times in search of safety before finally settling in Aleppo, Syria’s second city and former industrial hub that today still bears many of the scars of the country’s ten-year crisis.

Raber fled home in northern Iraq in 2018 due to the sectarian violence and the discrimination he faced because of his congenital condition. He was born with an atrophy in his lower limbs.

“Life is very difficult for people with disabilities in my country. I went to school, but when my mother died, I had to stop as I could no longer rely on family support. The situation became harder when the fundamentalists took control of northern Iraq.”

“I found myself through sports.”

In Cyprus he felt that things started to fall into place. He was recognised as a refugee one month after he applied for asylum, started attending Greek lessons and began making plans for the future, including to continue his education and get a high school diploma.

Meanwhile, he started training in track and field through a sports program for persons with disabilities where he was fortunate enough to meet his coach, Petros Mantis.

“I’m grateful for the love and support I received from many NGOs immediately upon arriving to Cyprus. And it was Ms Dolores of AGAPI in Limassol who put me in touch with Mr. Petros,” says Raber.

“We had our first meeting at a coffee shop in Nicosia where we sat together and set up the training program,” recalls Mr. Mantis, who later assisted Raber to move to a flat in Nicosia.

“Helping people in need through sports and other ways, gives me moral satisfaction and I’m happy that Raber has been empowered through the program. I wish that the pandemic will allow us to continue the training,” says Mr. Mantis, a forcibly displaced person himself since 1974.

“I became a refugee myself in my own country and I can feel Raber and other people who are forced to flee war and violence. We have become good friends and I have told him that for anything he needs he can call me anytime.”

Indeed, sports give Raber courage and hope, a sense of direction. He can’t wait to start training again.

“I found myself through sports,” he says. “It was great that I could go, before the pandemic, to the gym at the GSP [the stadium in Nicosia] twice a week, it helped me a lot.”

“I have dreams, of course, to participate in sports competitions as an athlete. But this will have to wait until the pandemic is over.”

“I became a refugee myself in my own country and I can feel Raber and other people who are forced to flee war and violence. We have become good friends and I have told him that for anything he needs he can call me anytime.”

And Mr. Petros could not agree more. “Exercising is particularly important for the body and mind, for the psychology of every person. It’s so important to train in a sports venue, meet and mingle with other athletes and people.”

The pandemic may have upended Raber’s sports routine, but not his desire to live. Learning and giving keeps Raber going. He continues to attend online Greek lessons and work as a volunteer when needed.

Raber is currently reliant on state support, but he has the drive and the potential to earn his living with the appropriate support.

“A lot of people call me to assist them with translation when for example they go to the hospital or other public services. In the same way I had been lucky to meet Mr. Petros and other caring people; it’s now my turn to give back and offer my assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees who need it. This is my moral duty, but it also feels nice when you help other people in need,” says Raber with a warm smile.

Sport helps to heal, develop and grow – especially people fleeing conflict or persecution. UNHCR promotes refugee access to sports and sports-based initiatives and together with partners and athletes we advocate for a world in which all forcibly displaced people – with or without disabilities – have equal access to sport and other forms of inclusion.

See also:

Six athletes to make up Refugee Paralympic Team at Tokyo Games

UNHCR congratulates the Tokyo 2020 Refugee Olympic Team

Togetherness and inclusion through sport #WithRefugees video:

 

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