Two years ago, with good reason to fear for his life, Kharim, then a twenty-seven-year-old from Burundi, set out for Europe. He took with him only an old camera, a phone, his identity documents and a few of his own works, today his only tangible reminders of home. With talent, knowledge and a strong desire to build a better future somewhere he would feel safe and welcome, he turned a new page in his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His journey brought him to Serbia, where he applied for asylum, though, as he puts it himself, nothing in life happens by chance. Over almost two years here, Kharim has built a strong bond with Serbia and with Belgrade. Through the lens of his camera he records, day after day, the scenes and landscapes that delight him, in which he sees a particular beauty that even long-standing residents of this city often no longer notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Serbia is very different from Burundi, from the natural environment to the people. I enjoy recording those differences. I like to capture different characters and emotions and to celebrate those differences through photography,’ Kharim explains, listing with pride the exhibitions in which his work has appeared thanks to the UNHCR office in Serbia and the Centre for Research and Social Development IDEAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alongside photography, Kharim has another love: electrical engineering. In his country of origin he completed primary school and a secondary technical school in the field, then enrolled at university to study electrical engineering. Financial difficulties forced him to interrupt his studies, and security problems made his life harder still, so a degree remained no more than a dream. On arriving in Serbia, however, Kharim realised there was hope of continuing his education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘I didn’t know where or how I could continue my studies, but I heard about the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering through IDEAS. They also supported me with the enrolment,’ Kharim says as he begins his story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IDEAS confirms that from his very first contacts with the legal team, Kharim expressed a wish to continue his education. The path to that new chance was not a simple one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Asylum seekers and refugees in Serbia enrol in the first year of undergraduate studies under the same conditions as Serbian nationals. That meant Kharim had to sit the entrance examination and win his place at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the same way as every other student. In order to sit the examination, he needed translated and formally recognised documents proving his earlier education,’ explains An\u0111ela \u0160emi\u0107 of the Centre for Research and Social Development IDEAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognition of foreign educational documents in Serbia is handled by the Qualifications Agency. Mindful of the particular circumstances of asylum seekers and refugees, the Agency is always ready to accommodate them. Thanks to that, the recognition of Kharim’s documents went through quickly and without difficulty. He still had to pass the entrance examination, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ten mathematics problems and ten more on the fundamentals of information and communication technology stood between Kharim and a place at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Belgrade, on the New Energy Technologies programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘I took preparatory classes in IT and mathematics, twice a week each. It wasn’t easy. I was afraid of the IT test, because I hadn’t studied that subject much at secondary school. I thought I had a better chance of scoring in mathematics, since I was among the best at it in Burundi. But I realised it wasn’t quite like that, because I was doing mathematics in Serbian and I didn’t fully understand some of the questions. In the end I scored higher in IT,’ Kharim says of sitting and passing the entrance examination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although he speaks Serbian fluently, sitting an examination in a language that is not his mother tongue was a challenge. To prepare as well as he could, he took additional Serbian lessons alongside the private mathematics and IT classes. All of this was made possible with the support of UNHCR and partner organisations such as CRPC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Learning Serbian was actually the hardest part of the job. Even though I speak the language fluently, during the examination I realised I have to keep studying intensively, even though the entrance exam is behind me,’ Kharim says, adding that he is looking forward to the start of the academic year and to gaining the knowledge that will allow him to work in his field and continue his life in Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kharim’s studies in Serbia were made possible through the DAFI programme (the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative). The programme provides a scholarship that is an exceptional opportunity for refugee students to pursue undergraduate studies in their country of asylum. Alongside administrative costs and tuition fees, the scholarship provides an allowance that allows students to take part in extracurricular activities as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IDEAS says that Kharim’s persistence and effort were an inspiration to everyone involved at the start of his path to higher education. Although his student commitments begin in the autumn, Kharim says he will not stop taking photographs, because he believes that with creativity and art, new technologies can take on a new dimension that puts people and their needs first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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