“Living in Iran wasn’t easy for us because Afghan refugees aren’t treated well there. Our children couldn’t go to school and my sons and I had to work hard to save money. After ten years, the Iranian government didn’t extend our visa and cut our passports in half. It wasn’t safe for us to go back to Afghanistan and therefore we decided to go to Europe, where we knew the countries to be humanitarian.

It took us about one month to get to Europe. The scariest thing was crossing the sea from Turkey to Greece in a boat with 40 or 50 people. Nobody was able to swim and when the boat filled with more and more water, we tried to scoop it back into the sea so the boat wouldn’t sink.

After ten years of being treated badly in Iran, we couldn’t believe the kindness of the people in Europe. At the Hungarian border, we met an Austrian police officer who treated us and other refugees very respectfully. When we arrived in Austria and experienced even more kindness, we decided to stay.

I didn’t come here to become a rich businessman. All I wish for is safety and that my children have the opportunity to study and have a normal life.”