Two UAB researchers share their stories as refugees

08/07/2025

Eddy Yazmin and Israa Abushaker, PhD researchers who have received a #UABRefugi grant, explain in a heartfelt interview what it is like to continue their research at university after fleeing from their country. This audiovisual testimonial, published on 20 June coinciding with World Refugee Day, is a production of the UAB's Solidarity Foundation (FAS) and the School for a Culture of Peace, with the collaboration of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation. It serves as a platform for those people defending the right to an education as a tool for social justice and transformation. The video was produced by the audiovisual co-op Bruna.

Eddy and Israa talk about their experience at the UAB, as students and refugees, thanks to the support of the FAS: “it was the first time I felt that there was someone by my side”, says Eddy.

Eddy Yazmin arrived to Catalonia fleeing from Colombia after the government assissinated his brother: “I was forced to leave my country immediately, I had to flee”, she explains in the video. Actress and cultural manager, she is currently enrolled in the PhD programme in Catalan Language and Literature and Theatre Studies at the UAB. She talks about how theatre and research are helping her build a new life based on political and cultural vindication: “I want to use theatre and art to create things with migrant people, with refugees”. She also protests about the fact that, because she comes from what is considered an “under-developed” country, many times she is not valued for her knowledge or contributions: “The knowledge we have is undermined and we are questioned solely because of our origins”.

Israa Abushaker, graduate in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at IUGAZA University, arrived to the UAB from Palestine with an Erasmus grant and was unable to return to her country after the war escalated: “I cannot return to my country. The only option I have now is to file for asylum”. During her stay at the UAB, she has completed a master's degree and a PhD, and with a research focused on the challenges of refugee women in entrepreneurial projects. She has encountered several administrative difficulties when trying to validate her studies and obtain her PhD diploma, one of the many struggles she has had to face during these years of war: “Now I am searching for the opportunity to work with an NGO and provide support to refugee women from around the world.”

Ten years of university commitment with refugees

Next October will mark 10 years since the statement “Catalan Universities in Support of Refugees”, published by the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP) and which, in a way, marked a starting point in the development of university programmes aimed at defending and enforcing the rights of forcibly displaced persons.

Since then, in a coordinated strategy with specialised entities, public administrations and the universities themselves, progress has been made in the deployment of academic reception programmes, complementary pathways to asylum, accompaniment, awareness and advocacy aimed at strengthening the role of universities in the field of refuge.

A path full of challenges and lessons learned, in an increasingly uncertain and complex context where forced displacement continues to increase, armed conflicts are more violent and the rise of hate speech shows that there is still much room for action to respond to the multiple violence and violations of rights suffered by refugees.

This academic year, the UAB Refugee Programme has attended 274 consultations and managed 49 grants to facilitate access to higher education for people seeking international protection and refugees.

The video can be viewed on the FAS YouTube channel and the trailer of the video is available on Instagram.