The young Egyptian comes from a small village, where life was never easy. Electricity is available for only a few hours a day and water is sometimes no more than a mirage. Despite the tragic experience of his older brother, their situation was so devoid of hope that the family decided to pay the traffickers of human life the large sum of 3000 Euros, which they obtained only by selling many of their possessions, including their small piece of land, and the animals, their only source of livelihood.
After a sea journey of several days Ibrahim disembarked from the ship on 1 April last, along with another 545 migrants, including 41 minors. Ibrahim remained for a while sitting in the cargo port of Salerno, waiting to hear his mother’s voice, and in the hope that he would be safe and could work out a decent future.
Together with Mohamed and Ahmed, another two Egyptian minors, he reached a small town in Campania and was then taken to the "16 August" educational centre in Bari where he was accepted immediately. The centre is managed by the association "Small Steps Big Dreams."
Their reception took place on the day of the 82nd anniversary of the canonization of Don Bosco, as if to demonstrate that the Saint of Youth after so many years, continues to keep the doors of his house open to accommodate troubled teenagers.
