27 April 2026
Hiba Messaoudi gives French lessons twice a week to a refugee family living in Bascharage. We met her to talk about her commitment.
Could you introduce yourself?
« My name is Hiba. I am married and live in Lamadelaine. I am originally from Algeria. I hold a PhD in chemistry and have worked in scientific research and teaching.
A year and a half ago, I left Turkey, where I had lived for seven years, to come to Luxembourg. In Turkey, I worked as a translator in several languages. I have always enjoyed translation because I really value human interaction and helping people communicate with each other.
I am currently looking for a job. I have applied for a freelance interpreter position in Arabic and Turkish with the Intercultural Interpretation Service of the Red Cross, where I will soon begin training.
At the moment, I am volunteering with LISKO, helping a Syrian refugee couple learn French.»
Do you want to help refugees integrate into Luxembourg? Send an email to rachel.vieira@croix-rouge.lu
Can you tell us how your volunteer work with the refugee family is going?
« It’s going very well. We enjoy meeting and having conversations in French. I teach them how to introduce themselves and manage everyday situations. I try to put them in real-life scenarios so they can understand what is being said to them and respond accordingly.
Their level of French is still very basic, but I feel they are making good progress. I also give them homework so they can practice between our sessions. There is still some hesitation when it comes to speaking French, but I encourage them to express themselves as much as possible.
For example, the husband recently wanted to offer help to some newly arrived neighbors but didn’t dare to approach them, so I taught him a few phrases and encouraged him to go and talk to them.»
Why did you want to volunteer? What does it bring you?
« It’s important to me because I like helping people. I want to be useful, especially during this period while I’m looking for a job. In the past, I did some volunteer translation work for the Aldic association.
At the moment, alongside my volunteering with LISKO, I am also a volunteer science mediator at the Luxembourg Science Center in Differdange. My role there is to inform and guide visitors. Just like in my work with LISKO, I feel a real sense of satisfaction in being able to share and teach something interesting and useful to others. I am actively continuing my job search while staying committed to my volunteer work. »
