“My name is Alhassane Camara, I come from Guinea Conakry, and I would like to tell you a little about how I arrived here in Spain, to share with you my journey, which has become my greatest adventure.
During this time I observed for the first time, and at the same time crossed, the desert where I could see the beauty of the dunes and how harsh, cruel and painful the heat can be. I also sailed the Mediterranean Sea and walked through several cities on foot.
In 2017 we left home to move by bus to Mali, a sister country to Guinea and, after two weeks there, we moved to the border with Algeria. We crossed the desert on foot for three days, appreciating the gifts it gave us and also suffering its harshness. It was on the third day that an armed group blocked us and demanded a ransom for our freedom. Luckily my mother found the money and sent it to allow me to continue my journey.
We arrived in the Algerian town of Blida with no food, no money and no strength to continue, so we had to find a way to survive working as bricklayers until we saved enough to continue to Morocco. A friend was waiting for us there, who gave us a place to live for three months, during which we continued to work to get more money to cross the Mediterranean. And we did it! After we raised enough money we managed to pay a person who got us on a zodiac. There were 59 people, 50 men and 9 women, but not all of us managed to get to Spain. Many were lost in the vastness of the sea. Among them, Abdul, who had been my travel companion since the moment we left home. With these words I not only tell my story, but also his.
Upon awakening after the shipwreck my solitary journey began, although for a short time because, fortunately, in my adventure I was always surrounded by people who offered me a hand.
I went through a centre for minors where I started attending the Don Bosco centre in Malaga, with its school for starting work and Spanish lessons. Shortly after I started living in an apartment with other people and when I got a contract I became self-employed very quickly. But something happened that changed my situation: my documents expired and I couldn’t renew them due to problems with the Guinean consulate, so I lost my job and my bank account was blocked. Thanks to a friend, I managed to keep the house I lived in for a few months. It was then that Stanley, a former classmate at the youth centre, reminded me that I could always return to Don Bosco, that this would always be our home and perhaps they could help me.
After I got back in touch with them, I went for an interview and entered the Francisco Míguez House, which has since become my home and family. I have not stopped working for my future, on the contrary, I have achieved many of my goals: I have a passport, I attend secondary school, I am learning a trade that will open the doors to me to get a quality job, I have met new people and new travel companions. I achieved all this also thanks to Abdul: we both had the same goals, but our destiny was different.
Today I want to say thank you to all the professionals at Don Bosco who helped me when I was not in the best situation, and to all those who continue to support me still. I will never stop fighting for a better future.”
Source: Salesianos.info
