Ayman Ahmad

I have just started job training as a pedagogical assistant. In the four years I have been in Denmark, I have had several periods with job training. It is OK, I suppose, but over the years it does seem a bit pointless. When you don’t have a proper job, you feel that you are a nobody. I have a graduate degree in journalism, I have done jobs in the US and the UK, and the last two years in Syria I held a senior position at the Ministry of Environment. I speak English, Romanian and Arabic, and I have gradually become proficient in Danish.

I am very grateful that I have been allowed to come to Denmark and for getting the opportunity to give my daughter a secure and safe future. As a journalist I could no longer justify staying in Syria. It became dangerous for me. Here in Denmark you have freedom. It is a gift, which I appreciate. But the freedom is not without its limitations. My education is not recognized. I need a Danish bachelor, and when I suffered a slipped disc and a long-term sick leave, they suspected me of cheating the system, and for a while they stopped my integration benefits.

My dream is to reunite my family in Denmark. I am a single dad because the Danish state does not acknowledge my marriage. But despite having let go of everything, my degree, my job, my wife, my country, Denmark gives me the opportunity to give my daughter a good life, and that means everything to me. Randers is a quiet place. When I walk by Gudenåen with my daughter, play, do sports, I have hope for and faith in the future. Maybe one day I can return with her and my wife and resume the life I left behind.


39 / male / single / child / degree in journalism / Randers / from Syria / came to Denmark in 2015 / residence permit in 2015