“I left Eritrea with my mother and brother. We left because Eritrea is dangerous. We first tried to settle in Yemen but as soon as we arrived we became stuck in the war there, so we had to move on to Egypt. But life again was really difficult.  

When we crossed the Mediterranean, I was forced to travel on a different boat to my mum and brother. But when I got to Italy, I couldn’t find my mum or my little brother. After three weeks of waiting in a camp, I received the worst news. The boat my mum and brother were on had an accident and it sank. They were two of over 700 people who died at sea on that boat. I felt so scared and alone. 

I was in Rome for 9 months and I lost hope many times. I started to believe that nothing good would ever happen to me.  

Thankfully my Aunt in the UK was put in touch with Safe Passage. They told her that I had the right to be with her.  I had to wait alone in Italy for a long time while my paperwork was sorted out, but thanks to Safe Passage lawyers, I was eventually flown to the UK.  

My English is pretty good now, I want to become a civil engineer and make my family proud, so I’m studying really hard. I’m really happy to say I can finally call the UK my home.”