Sweden

Six Somali men experienced a difficult journey getting to Europe. Some were imprisoned, and most of them lost friends in the Sahara. Despite having made it, they do not feel it was worth the struggle or the money.

Originally from Mogadishu, Halima has been through a great deal during her journey to Europe. And despite her eventual arrival there, the last seven years have seen her traveling between different countries seeking asylum without any success.

Sagal is a young Somali woman who fled her homeland because her family demanded her daughter should be circumcised. She refused. She says she is an educated woman and does not want her children to go through what she had been forced to endure as a child.

“They see you as money. Imagine that your life is valued in terms of money and you are shipped around like a piece of commodity.” Aman describes how he and his friends were kidnapped in Libya and sold from one band of traffickers to another, like animals in a market. Watch his story!

“He said, Mum, I’m being held hostage by the traffickers! When I heard that I almost died. I knew what that meant.” Watch Fathia’s story!

Mehari, an Eritrean refugee, made the difficult journey from Sudan to Sweden.

Dr Amal Ali’s family fled Somalia in 1991. She grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Dr.Ali has always wanted to make a difference, which is one of the main reasons she moved to Oslo to work within the practice and help her community.

Adal Nigusse began his irregular journey to Europe in 2002. His embarked from Kassala, a small town in the eastern part of Sudan, and then proceeded on to Khartoum. This was a time in which irregular journeys via Libya were starting to gain in popularity.

Fahad began his irregular journey at the age of 13. “It was never my intention to embark on a journey to Europe,” says Fahad, a young Somalian man in his twenties who was born and raised in Mogadishu. When Fahad was 13 years old, Al-Shabaab forcefully tried to recruit him. It was then that he made the decision to run away to Ethiopia. He ran away without his family’s knowledge, in fear that they would be forcefully asked to reveal his whereabouts.

Abdi was 17 when he embarked on his irregular journey in 2014. He felt the need to leave Somalia due to what he describes as a difficult situation—living in a war-torn area. Abdi left on his own, leaving his family behind, with an aim of getting to Europe. Despite allowing him to embark on the journey, Abdi’s family was oblivious of the dangers associated with it.

Hassan had heard about the difficulties that come with an irregular journey, but he decided to try his luck anyway. His family did not support his decision to embark on the journey and tried to discourage him. But Hassan’s mind was already made up. His focus was locked on the destination and the new standard of life it represented.