Asylum seeker from Cameroon: I want to say that the government should give the refugees a chance to work and to have a good doctor. And help to find a good housing. I enjoy Romania and I don’t want to leave this country. I want to tell the Prime Minister that the asylum seeker allowance in amount of 54 lei for two weeks is too low. Because of this, people do not want to stay here and go elsewhere.

Refugee from Syria: I have been in Brasov, Romania, for 20 months and only recently I was able to enroll for a Romanian language course. I’ve been trying to find courses, but I did not know where to look for. I tried to find a private teacher for lessons, but most teachers know how to teach English to Romanian speakers, not vice versa. Now I am taking Romanian language lessons from a kindergarten teacher and I started falling in love with this beautiful language. I’ve noticed that it is very difficult to find a job in Romania, if you do not speak Romanian. I was luckier than the rest of the refugees, because I work as a freelance web designer. One of the first things I wished for when I got here was a bank account, so I can start my online business. And I went to a bank, but they refused to open a bank account based on my temporary residence permit issued by the Romanian authorities. So I had to go to other banks, but they refused too. Then, I went to another bank, at the beginning I was refused, but after I came back with a lawyer friend who explained them that I have the same rights as a Romanian citizen under the asylum law, they accepted and opened a bank account for me. I never felt like a foreigner here; in fact, now, I have more Romanian friends than Syrian ones.

Refugee from Somalia: 1. It would be good to have the opportunity to learn the Romanian language, which means daily lessons with private teachers. 2. Free access to health insurance for refugees until they find a job. 3. Give financially support to refugees for 2 years instead of 9 months. Because 9 months it’s a short period of time. This way, I would have enough time to learn better the Romanian language and find a job. 4. Adequate accommodation for families, elderly and young people.

Refugee from Afghanistan: What solutions exist for a person who has no money or job, doesn’t speak the local language, has no friends, and is not familiar with the new society and places, or can’t share his pain with family members left behind? Why is the money from non-refundable aid available after three months? What should we do within these three months? I would like to have support until we learn the language and find a job. Moreover, I wish there were an organisation which could identify refugees skills or competences for various jobs, and this organisation should have contact with many private and public companies, and should function as a mediator between refugees looking for a job and companies. Some may have some money and would want to invest in here. How would they proceed? They should be counselled to learn the rules of running a business here and how to be successful. Some may wish to continue their education as they would want to have a bachelor’s, masters degree or a phd. They should be supported in this regard.