Family reunification – from Syria to Germany through Belgrade

During 2016 then 10 year old Yazan Irwani fled from Syria to Germany, where his older brother arrived a few months before him. After two years, in March 2018, the brothers received the approval of family reunification from the German authorities, so that their father, mother, brother and sister, who were in a refugee camp in Lebanon, could get all the necessary documents and fly directly to Germany. The trip was supposed to be simple: flight Beirut – Frankfurt, with a stop in Belgrade. Unfortunately, the father Husam got sick on the flight Beirut – Belgrade, which is why he was urgently transferred to the hospital and operated on the same day. The other members of the family had to continue their trip, but as soon as they got to Germany they asked for help, to find out what happened to the father and get in contact with him. Other than the uncertainty about the health situation of the father the family was also worried about the fact that he doesn’t speak Serbian or English. Through colleagues in Germany the request for help arrived to Caritas Serbia, whose employees, with the help of the ones from Caritas Belgrade, contacted the hospital, provided an Arabic translator, who helped the doctors inform the patient about his health state. They also accompanied Husam to medical examination and changing bandages, helped him around administrative problems, buying ticket to Frankfurt and in the end drove him to the airport. All the time they were in contact with the colleagues from Germany, who were providing information to the worried family of Husam. After two weeks of stay in Belgrade Husam Irwani recovered enough to get doctors permit to travel back to Germany, where finally after a long time the whole family was reunited.