The thought that one day I could help my family gave me the strength to endure
"I could no longer endure the poverty and the constant fear of the police. I decided to leave."
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Jamal (16) is a resident of the Temporary Reception Centre Usivak, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He arrived to the Centre alone, without adult supervision.
In the reception center Usivak, Jamal participates in all group activities. But his favorite activities include drawing and, as camp is situated in a rural area, spending time in nature.
"After three years my journey is still going on. It was dangerous. There were times when I thought I would die and never see my mother again”, says Jamal during workshops aimed at allowing children to reflect, heal and recuperate.
In partnership with UNICEF and World Vision Germany, World Vision provides 24/7 protection for unaccompanied children on the move.
"I often have the opportunity to see for myself how support can make a difference in the lives of these children. In the Usivak camp, unaccompanied children enter the protection system, which allows them to exercise their rights in addition to receiving support" says Muamer Ibrisevic, project coordinator for World Vision BiH.
This project offers space for children to learn and socialize. With the support of legal guardians, psychotherapists, Child Protection Officers and Cultural Mediators, children engage in activities aimed at building resilience and rediscovering their strength.
“I want to go to Germany and become an electrician. I want to learn how to connect electrical wires and light bulbs and light up the dark," shares Jamal.
Three years ago, Jamal left his homeland Afghanistan. At this time, his entire family relocated to Iran for the fear of conflict caused by constant clashing of different armed factions. Their decision was further motivated by the poverty – the men could not earn enough to support the family of six, and women were not allowed to work in the province they lived in.
"We simply had to leave. My mother was a housewife and the older sister, although educated, was never allowed her to work, and she had to stay at home and help our mother. What my father earned was not enough for us”, says Jamal.
To supplement the family income, boys worked from an early age. Jamal and his brother worked in the tailor’s shop.
“In the morning we would be at school and after school me and my brother would go to work in a tailor's shop. It's like that in Afghanistan, we work at all ages.”
The whole family arrived in Iran, but they could not stay there legally, so the children could not enroll in school. The police were constantly looking for illegal immigrants, so they were not allowed to move. Jamal's brother worked in a stone-mine and thus provided food for the entire family of six. They spent a year and a half in Iran.
"I could no longer endure the poverty and the constant fear of the police. I decided to leave."
Although Jamal's family was against this decision, he went on the journey anyway. Together with a friend he met in Iran, they arrived in Turkey. In Turkey, Jamal spent 45 days in a closed camp. He could only leave the room during meals.
"It was like I was in prison. I remember the air was stifling and I couldn't get out."
Together with a friend, he managed to escape from this camp and reach Istanbul. There he worked in a restaurant, washing dishes and scrubbing floors to save money for his further journey. After a few months, he headed for Greece.
"We spent 20 days in the forest. We wandered, but we managed to get to a city in Greece using the phone map. With some money I earned, I paid for a room so I could sleep over. It was hard for me to have to hide all the time. My feet were in wounds and I lay in bed for three days until I could stand on my feet again."
They walked from Greece to Albania, and from Albania to Montenegro. In Montenegro, they spent 6 days in a reception center.
"I was so tired, I thought about giving up and going back to my family. However, I knew what was waiting for me there, and I drew strength by imagining a better future for myself and my family. The thought that one day I could help my family and make it easier for my mother and sisters and invite them all to my place calmed me down and gave me the strength to continue my journey."
Jamal arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Montenegro by walking over the mountain.
"When I arrived at the gate of the Usivak camp, I was greeted by a girl. Next to her were the policemen who were talking, but they didn't seem rude either. She helped me get an identification document, I got clothes, hygiene package and accommodation. She said she would be my guardian and took me to the doctor to examine the wounds on my feet. I was given medication. I felt peace"
The project “Individual measure to strengthen the response capacity to manage migration flows in Bosnia and Herzegovina” is funded by the European Union through an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Danish Refugee Council (DRC).
