After three weeks in Dunedin, Syrian refugee Wafaa Al Ashram has found a warm face of humanity that has long been missing back home.
Wafaa Al Ashram and her son Ahmad Alhamwi (13) were among the first group of 49 refugees who arrived in Dunedin three weeks ago.
Originally from Damascus, she left Syria for Lebanon two years ago and had no idea what had happened to her home in Syria.
She was grateful for the warm welcome they had received and had gone from being stressed when she got off the plane to feeling settled in her new home.
Speaking with the help of interpreter May Taha, who is a member of the extended Taha family who have left Syria and resettled in Dunedin, she said she was happy to be making a life in a "very nice city'' full of kind people.
She had found a level of humanity that had not been present in Syria for a long time.
Her first priority for the future was to try to bring her 16-year-old son, whom she was forced to leave behind, over from Syria.
After that, her focus was on giving her children a "good education'' and learning English and computer skills to help find a job.
She had learnt some English already, but was keen to learn more as soon as possible so she could "connect'' with the people of Dunedin.
She was grateful for Red Cross volunteer Lynette Will, who she said was a "a gift from the gods'' and whom she considered a member of the family.
Their first three weeks in Dunedin included visiting Winz and a GP, keeping in touch with fellow refugees and contacting family members back home.
Ahmad was also looking forward to seeing his brother again and hoped to one day become an engineer.
He was enjoying school and in particular loved playing football with the other pupils.
Red Cross southern humanitarian services manager Sue Price said the first three weeks had been a "huge learning curve'' but had run smoothly.
"The volunteers have been fabulous. They've put in a lot of hours and really got to know the families, and our staff have been amazing,'' Ms Price said.
The refugees were settling into life in Dunedin "really well'' and were keen to learn English and start looking for work.
