Netflix recently released a movie based on the true life story of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini. The left their home in Syria, in 2015, due to the war. Yusra and Sara, both swimmers, had dreams. Dreams of swimming for their country in the 2016 Olympics, but this was not to be.
A large part of the movie tells the harrowing story of their crossing the Aegean Sea to get first to Greece, then Turkey, and finally Berlin, Germany. They had a lot of courage, and plenty of luck to reach Germany. In order to get to Greece, they paid smugglers. They, and dozens of other refugees, were sent in a rubber boat out into the ocean. Early in the voyage, the boat sprung a leak and started to fill with water. The only way out was to lighten the load of the boat and continue across the sea. Yusra and Sara jumped overboard, attached a rope to their waist, and swam for their lives. They saved the lives of 18 refugees on the sinking dinghy!
Once in Berlin, they met the local swimming coach, who committed to training Yusra, in the hopes of getting her to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, as part of the newly formed Refugee Team. Her sister Sara was injured and could not train. Yusra competed in the 2016 Olympics, and did so again in 2020. She is now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The sisters were able to bring the rest of the family from Syria to Berlin, where they all live.
Sara, was interested in doing refugee work for her country, so she went to the island of Lesbos, Greece to help out. She was accused of smuggling, espionage and fraud, served 107 days in jail, and is now in Berlin awaiting trial. She faces up to 25 years in jail. Amnesty International says these are trumped up charges.
If you haven't seen the movie, watch it on Netflix. I found it a great story of courage, and what people are willing to do to save their lives, and the lives of those they love.
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