Freeway - Immigrants are seeking happiness in Örnsköldsvik

Immigrants are seeking happiness in Örnsköldsvik

Imagine that you live a happy and normal life with your husband or wife and children. You work everyday, your children go to school, and your husband is working to provide for your family. You are free, and you can do whatever you want to do. Suddenly, everything changes. Life is now dangerous, and you have to escape to survive. This has happened to many people around the world, and we have met one of them.

Fatima Kosko is 35 years old, and lives in Örnsköldsvik in Sweden with her four children and her husband since September 28th 2001. She looks like a normal person, but has a different background.

The story begins

It began in Kabul in Afghanistan where she lived a normal life with her family. She worked at a big company as a clerk, and her husband was a military-man.

After death threaths against the military and her husband from the extreme forces in the country, the family had to escape from the capital to the north of Afghanistan. Her oldest child was now born, and three years later she got another one. But they never lived under safe circumstances, and had to move once more, this time to a city near Pakistan. After a while, they moved into Pakistan, but only for a week. Fatima called her relatives in Iran, and they offered the family a

place to stay. Fatima and her family got help from two people with transport from Pakistan to Iran, and the journey was long and hard.

The new life in Iran

They lived in Iran secretly for eight years, but had always in mind that they could be taken back to Afghanistan any time. Fatima’s husband got a job, but her children never went to school, and she did not work at all. The authorities in Iran decided to interview all immigrants in the country, and when they had talked to Fatima and her family, they wanted them to go back to Afghanistan. This terrified the family. The thoughts of moving back to the country was a nightmare. Through the interviews Fatima got in contact with the UN, and the family told them about their problems. The UN decided to help the family, and transported them to Sweden.

A safe and normal life in Sweden

Today, the family lives a safe and normal life here in Örnsköldsvik. The children now go to school, and Fatima and her husband study at SFI, a school for immigrants, in Örnsköldvik. They like living in Sweden, and are grateful for the opportunity of coming here. Here, they feel free, and have equality and democracy. Fatima has not returned to Afghanistan since they arrived, and has no thought of going back.

Immigrants in Örnsköldsvik are from: Europe except the Nordic countries 164 Iraq 106 North America 102 Lebanon 77 South America 58 Afghanistan 46 Iran 35 Great Britain and Northern Ireland 27

Fatima is one of 46 Afghanis in Örnsköldsvik. Most immigrants come from Finland, Denmark and Norway, but also many come from Asia 113 immigrants. As you see in the square, 164 people have immigrated to Sweden from different countries around Europe. 106 come from the unstable country Iraq, while only 35 come from the neighbouring country Iran. Totally there is 2309 immigrants in Örnsköldsvik, and 1406 of them are Swedish citizens.

These days, people have to escape from their country, because of different problems. During the war we experience today, many people live under dangerous circumstances, when they get their homes destroyed. Is this acceptable? Haven’t we learned anything of all the wars in the world? People have the right to live safely in their countries, and not to be forced to move.

What do you think about immigrants? Are there many immigrants where you live? Do you think it’s right that the citizens in a country have to run away because people higher up can’t get along?

The name Fatima Kosko is invented. The person has a different name in reality.