Where are you from, Théophile?
I am from Cameroon. I will be 20 years old in March. I decided to leave Cameroon with the hope of a better life and to help my mother, alone with my brothers, because we had nothing and I was in danger.
How was your trip?
Really hard. I crossed Nigeria, Niger, Algeria, Morocco and Spain, and finally reached France. It took me four years. In Niger I was stuck for two months. I keep seeing scenes of migrant traffic - a young woman from Cameroon who had been charged with a price she could not pay for, and so she was forced to marry a trafficker. The passage to Tamanrasset, Algeria, was also very tough. In Morocco, I spent a year and a half in the woods; some friends were raped, other died ... I tried several times to cross the border with Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish enclaves in Moroccan territory, without success. In the end, I managed to get in. I was welcomed by the Red Cross in a refugee camp. Then I was taken to Spain, picked up by an NGO, and finally I came to Lyon by bus.
How was the reception in France?
I was taken into custody and housed in a hotel. I had an appointment with a social worker. I asked him: how can I be useful? I am currently attending a training center with a view to obtaining a vocational diploma.
Do you also have time for other activities?
I have joined several groups: I have accompanied candidates for Confirmation; I help the homeless, try to give them solutions so that they can be housed, and now I am part of a group dealing with young foreigners. For me it's not about seeing them as a threat; we have to give them a chance. Before dealing with papers, it has to do with a person, a human being.
Is there any question you ask yourself now?
The question I ask is: what do I do for myself and for others? I want to be useful. One day or another, I will die. What will I do, what will I have given to the world?
Source: Don Bosco Aujourd’hui
