A refugee at 17

“It’s never too late to learn German”

Hewa Husin (26) fled from Syria to Austria in 2015 and works as an interpreter and in refugee support.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Destruction, oppression, violence - at just 17 years old, Hewa Husin packed her belongings into a suitcase in 2015 to leave her war-torn homeland of Syria for Austria. She spoke to Die Krone about tent camps, language and integration.

Her escape via the Balkan route took 15 days, with hundreds drowning in the Mediterranean. The refugee crisis had reached its peak, with over a million people streaming into Europe. After several stopovers, Husin ended up in a tent camp in Styria.