German rowers take on migrant crisis

Many of the migrants are bound for Germany and other social states like Sweden, while many millions more have sought refuge in neighbouring nations.

The New York Times estimates that by the end of 2015, six European nations alone (Germany chief among them) will have received over 1.3 million asylum applications, not to mention any other countries.

The media call it a migrant ‘crisis’ and it has impacted people from all walks of life.  

Hiding from gunfire

Kareem Al Nahas is one rower who understands the crisis more than most. Al Nahas left Syria in 2012 on a student visa to study at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. Taking up rowing in his first year at Jacobs, Al Nahas’ own story has proved an inspiration to his teammates who wanted to do more to help the refugees coming into their own community.

A simple conversation with Al Nahas brought home to teammate and current president of the university rowing team Mathew Hunter, the significance of a new life in Germany. “We were walking to the pool to get our swimming licenses in our second year,” recounts Hunter, a Canadian and former student at Jacobs. “I said to Kareem, ‘I can’t remember the last time I was in an indoor swimming pool.’ He replied, ‘the last time I was in an indoor swimming pool, I was hiding from the gunfire in the street.’”

“I wasn’t sure how to respond at the time,” says Hunter. But now, he and fellow rowers, Ahmed Kebdani and Natasha Danailovska have organised a response to the current crisis that they hope will make a difference in the lives of refugees and inspire others across Germany to find out what they can do to help.

Row2Syria

Not content to sit by and do nothing, they wanted to find an ideal initiative to incorporate rowing and provide aid. The Jacobs team decided to hold a ‘Row2Syria’ fundraiser and row the 3,078 kilometers between Bremen in Germany and Damascus, Syria’s capital city, on indoor rowing machines.

The Jacobs team took their idea to the organiser of the local refugee village (called ‘Blue Village’ after the blue shipping containers that have been converted into shelters for the almost 200 residents).  They have also enlisted the aid of Germany’s Olympic Champion men’s eight, Croatia’s World Champion Sinkovik brothers and indoor rowing manufacturer Concept2 to raise awareness about their campaign.

The 24 hour event will take place on 14-15 November 2016 where the small Jacobs team and volunteers must cover the distance holding an average split below 2:20 per 500m on ten ergometers. Refugees and supporters will be invited to try out rowing on the indoor tank and have the chance to contribute to the distance goal on two of the ten machines dedicated to this purpose.

The row will be live streamed on www.row2syria.com. It includes information for those who wish to donate, volunteer or participate in a solidarity ergo anywhere in the world to raise awareness of how rowers can help improve the lives of refugees.

A national strategy

The Row2Syria initiative hopes to raise awareness and whatever money they can to support Blue Village and the local aid effort. “As a small team, we can only do so much,” Kebdani says, “but we have connected with every club in Germany to get them involved. I hope that the people in the rest of Germany will do something similar.”

Some German rowing clubs have already opened their doors to migrants, offering special test days and collecting donations to help with memberships. The German Rowing Federation confirmed that there is enthusiasm across Germany’s rowing clubs and that new resources through the ‘komm mit ins Boot’ (Join the Boat) initiative will be available to help with outreach and integrating migrants into their communities through the sport of rowing.

“We started the project this year and want to expand our activities in 2016,” says Dorothee Dresel, communications officer for the German Rowing Federation. “Next year the focus will be to find young migrant rowers and young people with complicated access to sports and education.”

The German Rowing Federation has also applied for special government funding for 20 additional positions that would ease the burden on clubs to work with and offer more activities for new migrant rowers.

“Find what you have the means to do and do that”

“There are so many ways you can help refugees,” concludes Hunter. “You have to find what you have the means to do and do that. If it’s blankets, bring them blankets. We are using the strength of our small team to do what we can and they have been amazing balancing all of this with training and classes.”

Al Nahas will be flying back for the event from an internship at the University of Cambridge (GBR). He is overwhelmed with the opportunity to help his fellow Syrians and understands some of their hardship.

“I believe such an event can have a domino effect, and give ideas and motivate people,” he says. “When I see the people of my country choosing the sea over the land, crossing dangerous borders over staying inside, the feeling can’t be described except as hardship and injustice. No one deserves to leave their home country in such a manner.”

And as if to answer the skeptic cry that these migrants are simply riding an easy wave to a better life, Al Nahas strikes a chord with every one of us who knows what it means to call a place home. “A Syrian won’t flee until he reaches the point where he has nothing to lose.”