More than 1,800 kilometers as the crow flies lie between Dnipro, Ukraine's fourth-largest city, and Neu-Ulm, the third-largest city in the administrative district of Swabia. When Austin Osawe decides to leave Nigeria in 2019 to study business administration at the National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine (NMetAU) in Dnipro, he has no idea that three years later he will be forced to shift his center of life once again. "In Ukraine, many people from all over Africa - like me from Nigeria, also from Kenya or South Africa - studied because the system is similar in structure and thus easily transferable," explains the 37-year-old, who decided to go back for further studies after earning his diploma in mathematics. "For me, admission to NMetAU offered better opportunities for a good education and the chance to work while studying."
A hasty departure and unbureaucratic solutions
Then, with the outbreak of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine in February 2022, everything changes - including for the international students at NMetAU. After the first bombardments, Osawe receives a call from his landlord urging him to leave the country immediately. "I hurriedly gathered a few things and headed to the train station," he says. "The departure was really tough. There was an enormous crowd, everyone was trying to get out of the war zone as quickly as possible." Together with a friend, Osawe eventually arrives in Germany via a stopover in Hungary. For international students from Ukraine who want to continue their studies, the prospects are unclear at this point and the bureaucratic hurdles are high. A suitable program is quickly set up at HNU to enable those affected to continue their studies as unbureaucratically as possible; the association Giving Africa a New Face e.V. (GAaNF) in Munich provides support in disseminating this information.
Austin Osawe learns via WhatsApp about the possibility of being able to continue his business studies at HNU if the conditions are right. After a few obstacles, he contacts Prof. Dr. Elmar Steurer without further ado, who helps him with the formalities. It works: After a short time, Osawe is a duly enrolled HNU student. "I introduced myself at the International Office, where I received a student ID card and assistance with my timetable," says Osawe. "Of course, then I came a little later into the current semester - that was a challenge, but everything worked out very well." Edith Otiende-Lawani of GAaNF praises the process on the part of HNU: "It is very nice to see that our work is bearing fruit. We have been working hard to offer refugee African students a perspective with as little red tape as possible, and Austin is a prime example of how this can work."
Enthusiastic about HNU: Austin Osawe hangs on for another semester
The student still covers some kilometers - but now only between Neu-Ulm and Rosenheim, where he has been accommodated. Thanks to a 9-euro ticket, he can commute this distance cheaply and thus attend lectures and courses at HNU. What excites him most about his studies in Neu-Ulm is the practical relevance and the focus on presentations - so much so that he has decided to continue studying at HNU in the coming winter semester. "I feel completely accepted here," says Austin Osawe. "For this great opportunity, I am enormously grateful to GAaNF, HNU and Prof. Dr. Steurer - they have taken care of those of us who thought we would never be able to continue our studies."
