As a child, Mevan Babbakar spent 5 years of her life as a refugee in the Netherlands, while there, a man bought her a bicycle so she tried tracking him down.
Global – Mevan Babbakar took a shot in the dark and it paid off more than she could have ever imagined. Growing up, Mevan and her family became refugees after fleeing a war-torn country.
They fled and made their way to the Netherlands. By this time Mevan was a 5-year-old little girl. As the family began to settle into their new lives, a man took a shine to the shy little refugee girl. He bought Mevan a small bicycle and forever earned a place in her heart.
Mevan and her family lived as refugees in Zwolle, Netherlands for five years before moving on. The man forever remained on Mevan’s heart.
Armed with just a picture of the man, Mevan took to Twitter to ask for help in finding out his name.
Hi internet, this is a longshot BUT I was a refugee for 5 yrs in the 90s and this man, who worked at a refugee camp near Zwolle in the Netherlands, out of the kindness of his own heart bought me a bike. My five year old heart exploded with joy. I just want to know his name. Help? pic.twitter.com/XzUgHzllYb
— Mevan | میڤان (@MeAndVan) August 12, 2019
People started retweeting the post as a way to help spread it as far as possible. Just two hours after her original Tweet, Mevan tweeted that she would be appearing on a local news segment to help her story reach even more people.
Her story started gaining global attention and within 24-hours, the light of her refugee life was found.
“Not only did I find him, but I’ve also had other refugees reach out to me and tell me that he and his wife helped them too! Their kindness has touched so many lives. One woman said “they weren’t friends to me, they were family”
After being seen globally, other people who helped out at the refugee camp reached out. A woman who taught Mevan how to use a computer was moved to tears to learn that she ended up working in the tech industry.
This is Egbert. He’s been helping refugees since the 90s. He was so happy to see me. He was proud that I’d become a strong and brave woman. He said that was his wish for me when I was small. He grows orchids. He has a beautiful family. He said it felt like I’d never left. pic.twitter.com/WlDWm2seVh
— Mevan | میڤان (@MeAndVan) August 13, 2019
Small actions can have big consequences. The kindness that Egbert and his family showed me will stay with me for a lifetime, and it continues to shape me as a person.
That’s the magical thing about kindness, it doesn’t cost anything and it changes the world one person at a time.
— Mevan | میڤان (@MeAndVan) August 13, 2019
The internet helped connect them within 36-hours, now that is using its powers for good!
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