Members of the Gambian community in Austria are mourning the death of Austrian philanthropist and refugee activist, Ute Bock, who died last week at the age of 75.
Ute was famous for helping migrants, among them, Gambians, to build safe, hopeful and productive new lives in Austria.
Vienna-based Gambian, Abdou Cham told What’s On-Gambia: “For decades she was helping refugees who came to Austria, from all over the world with housing, feeding, and most important legal matters - without taking a cent from them.”
He added: “Ute was doing it without support from the government. She mainly depended on the support she was receiving from private individuals.”
According to Abdou, many far-right politicians tried to stop her, but to no avail. She was committed to helping migrants build better lives for themselves in Austria.
“Ute was like a saint. Many Gambians in Austria know her and we are saddened by her death.”
Ute Bock died on the 19th January after a long illness. She won a lot of awards for her work with migrants and refugees.