First Syrian refugee arrives in Mexico on September 17

A Mexican-led humanitarian initiative launched a project called Habesha to invite Syrian refugees to continue their studies in Mexico.

Essa Hassam, the first Syrian refugee invited as part of the program, will arrive in Mexico on September 17. He will study at the Pan American University of Aguascalientes. Other private universities such as Iberoamericana have recently joined in, and the project organizers are seeking to expand it to public educational institutions.

The project was founded in 2013 by Adrián Meléndez, who as part of his work at the International Organization for Migration visited several camps where he witnessed the “revictimization” of the refugees living in them.

Foreign Affairs Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu said today that Mexico is "exploring" the possibility of hosting Syrian refugees, and retierated the country's support to find solutions at multilateral level.

To escape violence it is estimated that four million Syrians have fled the country to neighboring countries surh as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, while thousands are in other regions such as the Caucasus, the Persian Gulf, North Africa and Europe.

Habesha is supported by the Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater, Mexican actor Luis Gerardo Méndez and Jorge Álvarez Fuentes, Ambassador of Mexico to Egypt. Last year Mexico made donations to the Red Cross, Unicef and other international agencies that help Syrian migrants seeking for refuge.

(With information from Ivette Saldaña. English translation: Giselle Rodríguez)
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