Hiking asylum seekers finish trek across Switzerland

Two asylum seekers from Afghanistan finished their “integration hike” around Switzerland, having covered more than 1000 km. (SRF, swissinfo.ch)

Hamid Jafari and Mohammed Mohammed Rasuliare both 26 years-old and ethnic Hazaras. They fled war in their country in 2015. Hamid is a trained builder and Mohammed is a maths teacher. They are based at asylum centres in canton Aargau, and met playing football.

The two set out on their odyssey on May 1 with a mission to get to know Switzerland and its people. They stayed at Swiss people’s homes and received gifts from them, such as hiking gear. They now want to encourage other asylum seekers to try and integrate, and learn about the country where they are seeking asylum. 

At the end of the trek, Hamid Jafari said his favourite stop along the way was Valais, as the people there were so friendly. The trip ended at parliament, giving the two men the chance to find out how asylum decisions are made in Switzerland.