Marwa Mohamed
Marwa Mohamed has lived with her two children in The Hague since 2008. She left her native Egypt at the age of 22. She knew the Netherlands from a film she had seen before: Hamam fi Amsterdam. A feel-good comedy in which Hamam leaves Egypt. He ends up in the vibrant Amsterdam of the nineties, where he starts to feel at home and eventually opens his own restaurant.
Marwa: 'That inspired me so much. Starting with nothing and then building something up.' She first ended up in Den Helder but she wanted to go to The Hague. 'That's where the government is and I love politics,' says Marwa. She learned a lot of the Dutch language from debates in the House of Representatives. 'Even the difficult words,' she chuckles.
The biggest surprise was yet to come. She had once seen the Peace Palace on television. Marwa: 'I saw that people could demonstrate here and 'bad' people were tried here.' 'For me it was a magical place and I wondered where this palace was.' When she was once taking a walk with colleagues during their break, they passed the Peace Palace. 'That was very special. I come here regularly. Even when I'm feeling down. For example, about the wars in the world. I want peace for everyone, regardless of origin or religion. That's why this is still a magical place for me. The Peace Palace shows me that I live in a safe place.'
Investing in peace
Marwa looks back at the Peace Palace and continues: 'I hope that countries will continue to invest in peace. Not only by investing in defense, but also through diplomacy, collaborations and innovative strategies. Because real peace is not only something to protect but also something to actively work on, for generations of today and tomorrow.'
'I wish peace for everyone, regardless of origin or religion'
Give something back
Marwa undertakes many activities in which she can help others. She is a lunch mother and volunteers to help make sandwiches for children whose parents do not have enough money for lunch or breakfast at her daughter's school. 'Because no child should suffer from poverty,' says Marwa firmly. 'And the Netherlands has done a lot for me. Like providing a house when I came here. So I think it makes sense that I should give something back.'
She is also actively involved in the Leergeld Den Haag foundation. 'My daughter Alya had registered with the Council of Children. Then I found out that there is also a Council of Parents and I registered.' She now provides information and advice to parents in the Central Library every Wednesday. Mother and daughter; both active in their city of The Hague.
