We were really happy to show journalists Giacomo Sini and Dario Antonelli what we do at Nicosia’s Dignity Centre. They came to Cyprus in October to report on the situation and here is the first publication in the Swiss publication Echo Magazine
It covers the troubled issue of the green line border affecting all the communities living on the island. Our Coordinator Helene and one of our members were interviewed:
“In Cyprus, asylum seekers have access to work and social benefits in case of unemployment. Here, we help people write a CV and apply for a work permit,” explains 27-year-old Luxembourger Hélène Verdickt, deputy coordinator of Refugee Support, the NGO that runs the centre.
A 32-year-old Cameroonian is a volunteer hairdresser every Friday at the Dignity Centre. His asylum application is pending: “In three years. They never called me for an interview,” he regrets. He is now unemployed, but worked for two years in a small aluminum factory: “Despite my requests, I never received a contract and the salary was miserable. There are no unions to tackle these issues. So I left. Better to make deliveries by bike!”.
