After a life of upheaval, this Syrian family will soon start their new Kiwi life. <br />After a life of upheaval, this Syrian family will soon start their new Kiwi life. <br /> <br />A refugee’s life is one of constant upheaval – from the first day of flight from a war-torn community, to the ongoing search for a safe, stable home. <br /> <br />But for 82 Syrians who’ve escaped civil war, tomorrow - at last - that search will be over. <br /> <br />New Zealand’s first intake of Syrian refugees will be settled on Friday in the Wellington region, after six weeks of adjustment at Auckland’s Refugee Resettlement Centre. <br /> <br />They’re among 750 Syrians New Zealand will take in over the next three years – but just a fraction of an estimated 11 million others who’ve been displaced by five years of civil war. <br />For Hussein Tahouf, his wife and two children, it’s the end of a long and arduous journey. <br />The Tahoufs left Syria in 2011 after two “massacres” close to their homes – violence they say was carried out by pro-government forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad. <br /> <br />“We left our homes for the sake of our children,” he says. <br />They spent the next four years in Lebanese refugee camps, where more than 1 million are officially registered as refugees. Estimates put the real total much higher, at more than 1.5 million people. <br /> <br />Mr Tahouf recalls clearly life in the camps, where his son Mostafa has spent half his life. He says conditions were as bad as at home. <br /> <br />“The way we were treated in Lebanon was exactly the same as we were treated in Syria,” says Mr Tahouf. “Leaving and getting away from Lebanon was like a dream.” <br /> <br />Now that dream is very much reality. Tonight they’ll receive the documentation that certifies they’re permanent New Zealand residents – and tomorrow they’ll move into their first stable home since leaving Syria those years ago. <br /> <br />Helping them do that are a number of agencies – from Housing New Zealand, which supplies the homes, to the Red Cross, which will guide them through their first year in New Zealand. <br />But while Mr Tahouf has a new life ahead of him, he hasn’t forgotten the situation back home. <br /> <br />“In my country, we have the Syrian regime, and we have Islamic State”, he says. “I think things will end when there will have to be a choice – either Assad or IS. And of course they will choose Assad. And the people will continue to be scattered out of their homeland.” <br /> <br />That’s why Tahouf has a message for New Zealand. <br />“I thank the New Zealand Government for welcoming us,” he says. “And I hope they will welcome more refugees.” <br />Up to 100 more Syrians will arrive next month at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre. <br /> <br />In July its capacity will expand significantly, when a new $24 million facility will open next to the old army barracks that currently houses most of the <br />It’s there that all incoming refugees undergo a crash course in Kiwi living, which ranges from basic English lessons to assistance in finding a job in New Zealand. <br /> <br />Mr Tahouf hopes Government will raise its refugee quota and give others the chance to experience the same. <br />“Especially the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, because they’re the ones under extreme pressure.” <br /> <br />The Tahoufs know that pressure all too well – though as they prepare for a new life in Wellington, finally the weight on their shoulders is lifting.
