How many trials can a person endure? How many times can he fall and rise? For Chiconoble boy from Congo with smiling eyes and an inexhaustible desire to learn, the list seems endless. Ten years after an unspeakable personal tragedy and his expulsion from his homeland, and when he again felt that he belonged somewhere, Hellas sends him back to the Congo again. Back to danger. Let’s get back to trauma.

He was 10 years old when Chico survived the massacre of his entire family by soldiers. He himself, who was not at home at the time, was forced to flee his country to save himself. He ended up in Morocco with his uncle, who died soon after. Chico lived in Morocco as a beggar until he was 14 years old. After that, he crossed to Libya on an inflatable boat, and from there he tried to cross to Europe. Fate had another adventure in store for him when the ship he was on sank, causing many of his fellow refugees to drown helplessly. He was rescued by an Italian merchant ship. He ended up in Turkey, from where he managed to cross by boat to Kos.

It was December 19 when he arrived at composition of unaccompanied minors “Nefel 1” Social EKAB in Piraeus. He spoke his native language, Lingala, some French and some Greek, which he learned during his short stay on Kos. OUR Anna Maria Catomoniati, currently responsible for communication and educational programs of the Social EKAB, then worked in the structure as an educator. “I remember how difficult it was to communicate with him, but also how much he wanted to learn,” says “K”. Very quickly, the child was enrolled in the school of the 1st EPAL Piraeus, studying electrical engineering. “It was incredible energy and dedication with which he attended classes,” she recalls. “Even in quarantine, studying online, he never missed a lesson. We were all very impressed with his dedication. As a teacher, I have never seen such stubbornness in a child.” Often, Ms. Katomoniati notes, she would look for him in the building and find him studying in his room. “Send me to read, madam,” he told her when she came of age and had to leave the building. He lived there for three years, managed to learn Greek well (participated in all the activities of the structure, never missed Greek lessons), received a high school certificate at 15.5 and even dreamed of studying at IEC “Electrical Engineering”. .

In the following period, he was temporarily housed in a semi-autonomous residential apartment within its framework. accommodation program for asylum seekers, “Estia”. Today, after the apartment program was halted, Siko has taken his life into his own hands. At the age of 20, he settled in a rented apartment with a friend of the same age from Syria – they met in the structure of the Social EKAV – in a rented apartment. He covers his expenses by having a permanent job at a packaging factory in Aspropyrgos.

Refusal

No one doubted that Chico would receive asylum in our country. The decision to quit hit everyone in the organization, his teachers at school, his co-workers, the people of Lyrica, where he went through a six-month program playing a leading role in performance “Untitled yet: An old fable” (hence the photo). How is this possible; Those who have read the solution are talking about conflicting messages.

Although the agency’s report accurately and in detail describes the military situation and the tragedy endured by civilians in the Congo and concludes that the asylum seeker is also in danger, his request is ultimately denied. Among other things, it is reported that while forced recruitment is a tactic used by armed groups in the eastern part of the DRC, the target is not the entire male population.

He himself experienced the greatest shock. “We are talking about a child who, upon hearing the word Kongo, says: “I don’t want to talk.” As his teacher, I started talking about his homeland many times, and he always told me: “ma’am, I don’t want to remember.” According to his psychologist, he was a deeply traumatized child. So much so that when he talks about these events, he cannot connect the emotion with his memories, he tells them in a detached way.

He sends her daily messages: “What will happen? What am I going to do;”. Although he is no longer hosted by Social EKAV, the organization supports the child legally and in everything he needs. All hopes are pinned on the already filed appeal. “Everyone who knows him sent letters of support. We We owe asylum to all children, but here we are talking about a child who did not hold a pencil very well when he was in our country. He made great efforts to succeed. “As she emphasizes, the only reason why he has not yet begun his studies , is his work schedule.