Schooling and sports give a new dimension to the life of a Somali teenager in Cyprus

Yasser* trains outside Kofinou Reception Center for Asylum-Seekers before a running competition, March 2017.
© Volunteer at Kofinou Center for Asylum-Seekers

Ελληνικά

Nicosia – Yasser *, a 17 year-old asylum-seeker from Somalia, hopes that one day he will compete in long-distance running representing Cyprus in major international games. But with the uncertainties regarding his asylum application that has taken the authorities more than two and a half years to make a decision, his dream may need to be put on hold for some time.

In the meantime, Yasser competes in 1,500 to 10,000 track events as well as marathons organized across the island. In 2017 only he took part in 10 competitions and reached the finish line among the first five.

Yasser started competing in medium and long-distance runs at the time he was at the Kofinou Reception Center for Asylum-seekers. A volunteer group at Kofinou helped him by raising funds to cover his participation and transportation fees. “Life at the Kofinou camp was so miserable until I started running in these competitions,” Yasser points out.

Yasser came to Cyprus in March 2015 when he was 15, alone, without parents or any other legal guardian, leaving behind his mother and five siblings. He had no other choice than fleeing his country riven by conflict for 26 years; a conflict that has driven millions of its citizens from their homes to other parts of the country or across borders.

His life in his homeland became intolerable not only because of the instability precipitated by years of conflict but also due to the discrimination and social exclusion he faced as a member of the Ashraf ethnic minority group. Also, the terror spread by extremist groups in many parts of the country, in particular against young boys as Yasser, had an impact on Yasser as well. He shivers when he recalls the pressure he and his friends received from the extremist military group of Al Shabaab to join their forces or else they would be killed.

Upon arriving in Cyprus, Yasser applied for asylum and was hosted in a shelter for unaccompanied and separated children under the supervision of the state Welfare Services. But Yasser had to go through an age assessment procedure requested by the Asylum Service. Based on the age assessment, which involved wrist x-ray and a dental examination, he was determined to be above 18 years old and he was not afforded the opportunity to challenge the decision before a court of law. “I on’t understand why they didn’t believe me, I gave them my birth certificate but they did not accept it,” Yasser shrugs. Not only are these types of age assessment techniques invasive and intrusive, they don’t even establish the exact age of an individual. A margin of error will therefore always be present.

One immediate consequence of finding him not to be under-age was that Yasser could no longer remain in the youth shelter for unaccompanied children. He was requested to move to the Kofinou Reception Center as the only option available to him, despite the Centre’s unsuitability for a lone child without parents, or other legal guardian. After he stayed there for a year and a half under very difficult conditions, a local NGO assisted him to move out from the center.

Ever since he moved out from Kofinou and came to Nicosia, Yasser trains every afternoon at the Nicosia stadium, GSP, for two hours, including on weekends. Being dependent on a 320 Euro allowance per month to cover rent, utility bills, food, clothing, transportation and all other necessities, one can only wonder: How does he manage to be such a promising athlete without proper nutrition and sports equipment? “I don’t know, I just do it” he said to UNHCR when we met him last December, only to utter shyly that with a pair of special running shoes and perhaps  track and field uniforms he could do even better.

Thanks to a private donation made by a sports shop that UNHCR approached, Yasser will be able as from today to train with proper running shoes, shorts and track suits. “I’ve seen a lot of  kindness from Cypriots and I choose to keep this kindness locked in my heart, and be encouraged whenever I face problems or treated badly from some others,” Yasser says to UNHCR.

Back in Somalia, Yasser attended school for eight years with his favourite subjects being chemistry and biology. As from last October Yasser attends a three-year high school programme at KASA College in Nicosia with a direction in food and beverage/tourism studies. The College decided to offer a number of placements to refugee children for whom public schooling was not possible and Yasser, being one of them, joined the school’s programme after passing the placement test.

“This is also good for me, because as from next year when I will become 18, I will be able to work in parallel with my studies and be able to start making my living. I’m so thankful to KASA college for giving me this opportunity, “Yasser says. After two and half years in Cyprus, he’s still an asylum-seeker, with his asylum case pending for court review. His meagre social assistance barely comes on time. “It’s mid of December but the food coupons are not out yet and I’ve run out of food,” Yasser said to UNHCR when we met in December.

Yet, despite the many hardships and sufferings, Yasser has not given up on hope. Schooling and daily training at GSP are a solace to his daily solitude. He has now a new dimension in life. “Life in Cyprus is so different now than it was when I first arrived. I feel that I’m more integrated now. I go to school, I train in the afternoons, and I have many Cypriot friends. What’s really important for me now is to have my refugee decision and receive the social assistance on time until I will be allowed to work,” Yasser says.

*Name changed for protection purposes

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