Thursday we met another young man, JM , (decided it's best not to type names or places of particular refugees, just for protection of everyone) he left Libya on a pontoon! He travelled with 200 other refugees hanging on for dear life as they crossed the sea the fish, sharks and waves their greatest enemy! On the pontoon for 2 days before their were rescued by authorities and put in dingy for another day or so to finish the journey.
We have heard varying stories - €300 to €1000 to take the boat trip, most people spending their life savings, that is if they make it through the Sahara desert and still have money left to get on th ebony in Libya!!!! prices vary depending on the style & reliability of the boat, if you pay more you can sit on the deck, if you pay less you sit under the deck, of course you have more chance of surviving if the boat capsizes if you are on the top deck!!!
J arrived in Sicily 5 years ago, once through the processing centre he headed up to Austria where he was able to stay, helped by people along the way but unable to get asylum there. He met a young
lady from Africa who has since became his wife and she had her paperwork sorted quickly. She was able to travel through to Germany with her papers and was waiting for J to meet her there so he could be with her when their baby arrives in two weeks. Unfortunately J was stopped at the border with no papers and was returned to Sicily where he will need to leave the country and be sent home!
Yesterday we dropped him off at the lawyers who is going to try and get him the rights to stay but it doesn't look too promising, it could take another few years to sort it!!!!!
The refugees are SO patient and Italy has been so good to take so many refugees, the trouble is there are still more coming and there I see very little work for anyone here in Sicily, apart from the odd seasonal work that is only temporary!
