Olivier and Lynda feeding their baby Dušan in IAN’s premises in Belgrade, 2 November 2023, © UNHCR
The first encounter with Serbia for Olivier, a refugee from Burundi, was when he arrived in the no longer operating Bela Palanka Reception Centre in late November 2020.
He remembers the cold like he never experienced before, and not being able to communicate due to lack of local or English language skills. Owing to UNHCR NGO partners, Olivier managed to apply for asylum and received refugee status after a five-month wait, succeded in learning Serbian and coping with his traumatic past.
„I am a complete person again!“ – says Olivier in fluent Serbian language, deeply emotional.
Olivier met his life-companion, Lynda, also from Burundi, a year later when she first arrived in Belgrade, jumping to her assistance when she was reportedly robbed of everything she had by smugglers, including her change of clothes. Olivier and Lynda got married in Belgrade in Zvezdara municipality, and have a son born in Belgrade named Dušan – a name liked and picked by Olivier since it means „soul“ in the Serbian language.
Compared to three years ago, Olivier is much more confident about the future. He is thankful to UNHCR for the child allowance his family receives which helps the family weather Dušan’s first years, and to UNHCR partner International Aid Network (IAN) who helped him regain faith in his resilience and abilities. Newly arriving Burundian refugees refer one another, when in need of support, to IAN and a number of other humanitarian partners in Belgrade, and have meanwhile established a small community in the city.
Olivier works night shifts in the outpost of an international company in Belgrade to keep the family going while Lynda is busy learning Serbian and taking care of their baby son.
The couple lives in the suburbs of Belgrade and say they never experienced a major instance of racism anywhere in the country since their arrival. They also say that, bit by bit, they are restoring their faith in people in general, and in the power of community, though they sometimes face difficult moments.
„When you are a refugee in a governmental centre, you have everything provided for you. Once you leave the centre, you are on your own and so it happens that everytime we need medical help, we have difficulty accessing it and explaining that refugees have the right to free health care like the citizens of Serbia, and we require accompaniment by the staff different organisations to support our case in liaising with medical authorities“.
As for Lynda, her wish is that Dušan grows up to be „like other people“, to learn Serbian and to be able to help out his parents.
We leave this family with a feeling of true admiration for what they have achieved so far, convinced that the best days for the three of them are yet to come.
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