A Syrian refugee who has settled in Berlin says he now spends his Saturdays cooking food for local homeless people, as his way of showing his gratitude for a fresh start.
Alex Assali was forced to flee his hometown of Damascus in 2007 over “political matters” and fled to Libya. According to Buzzfeed, he came to Germany last September.
Assali started cooking for homeless people in August, usually feeding about 100 people. His friend told German magazine Stern that Alex saves 120 Euros per month so he can offer his meals twice a month.
It was only after Alex’s friend Tabea Bu posted an image of her friend to Facebook did the media notice his hard work.
In a post praising her friend, Bu wrote how Assali was forced to leave his friends, family and life behind in Syria. She also said that he wanted to thank the German people who helped him build his new life in Berlin:
THATS ALEX! A big shoutout to him this morning, Dieser Mann beeindruckt mich zu tiefst! Seine Geschichte ist nicht…
Posted by Tabea Bü on Saturday, November 21, 2015
Since posting her Facebook message, Bu has been contacted by a number of media agencies who looked for more information about Alex.
Bu told German magazine the pair had met through an organisation Sharehaus Refugio, who help people who have lost their homes build back up their lives.
Assali, who is still searching for a job, told Buzzfeed:
“My dream [is] to have in [the] future a big house to support [these] people and do something positive for them because many of them need someone to guide them to the right way.”
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