Refugees in Cyprus inspired by visit of two women dedicated to sports and refugee aid work

Tegla Louroupe and Gelly Aroni share a persistence and determination to help others, to make a change and alleviate refugee suffering in their home countries of Kenya and Greece.

24 Mar 2017

Tegla Louroupe and Gelly Aroni at UNHCR’s Cyprus Office with refugee and asylum-seeker women.
© UNHCR/Cyprus

Ελληνικά

Refugees and asylum seekers in Cyprus shared their personal stories and were moved by the work and advice of Tegla Louroupe, Chief of Mission of the Refugee Olympic Team 2016, and Gelly Aroni, Director of Education for Refugees with the Ministry of Education of Greece while meeting them at our offices in Nicosia yesterday. Tegla and Gelly are two women coming from different contexts, yet sharing a persistence and determination to help others, to make a change and alleviate refugee suffering in their home countries of Kenya and Greece, and raise awareness globally. They were invited as guest speakers to the island by the Cyprus Olympic Committee on the occasion of the annual ‘Women in Sport’ conference held earlier in the week. Later in the afternoon,
during a visit to the Kofinou Reception Centre, they met young asylum seekers during an athletic event that was held with the residents of the Centre.

Through their personal stories of determination despite all the challenges and obstacles they have faced and still face, Tegla’s and Gelly’s stories inspired the refugees in the room to find their own
strength. “I am a refugee and I must make a difference,” said the Palestinian teacher from Syria. “I want to build an Arabic school so that by learning language and about my culture, the children can become a bridge.” The Iranian mother of said, “Hearing Tegla talking this morning, I think wow, I have something in my hands, I can do something.” The young woman from Somalia said: “Today is a beautiful day for me. It’s like the picture of my life coming through in one meeting. I’m very grateful to the help people are offering help…”

Kadar travelled to Cyprus with Tegla from her training centre in Nairobi. An Ethiopian refugee himself, and orphaned as a teenager, Kadar has found a new family and new hope through Tegla, who is now dubbed mother of the motherless. “The beautiful sport of running brings people together. Training at Tegla Louroupe’s Centre, each refugee has the right to be recognised as a
human being. Everywhere we go we are human,” he said, sharing his gratitude for the opportunities given to him. He hopes to one day be good enough to run in the Olympics.

Gelly spoke of the challenges of bringing people together even just to play, and of her 20 years of experience before joining the Ministry developing physical education for social cohesion. “We were
following what was happening in the world, by seeing the changes in the student population in our schools…We had to learn to play together…In my intercultural school, playing together is not a
given,” she said. She shared the immense challenges she faces professionally and personally in order to bring positive change, and her unending persistence and commitment: “You cannot run away from issues. We try and we try and we try. I refuse to give up.”

Having grown up in a conflict area in rural Kenya, Tegla acknowledged the immense challenges refugees face, especially when having to leave home, and build a new life in a new country and
culture. “We are the people who create the problems, we are the people who can also solve the problems,” she said to the group yesterday and encouraged them: “Let us do good, let us be better
people…Nothing is impossible.”