Changing Lives in Malta

Refugee and asylum-seeking youth pose for a selfie. This group of diverse indivdiuals often arrive in malta unaccompanied, and need assistance finding resources.

When reading about the refugee crisis, the sheer number of people who need assistance can make the group seem monolithic. It is easy to forget that at the center of this crisis are a diverse group of human beings, many of whom are children and youth.

Our work in Malta has really opened our eyes to the myriad issues facing refugee and asylum-seeking youth. Many arrive in Malta unaccompanied by adults. Others had to leave academic degrees and thriving professions behind to flee violence. One such youth is Aladdin, whose story is generously shared by our partners at Kopin:

“Aladdin is a 27-year-old man from Sudan who we had met earlier this year at the Hal Far Tent Village (Open Center) where he was living. Since then, he has been volunteering with our team, providing Arabic translation, and referring fellow asylum seekers to our program; he has been a great asset to our team and work.

“Due to the pandemic, Aladdin had struggled greatly, living in a locked-down center and unable to find a job. Once the lockdown was lifted, we managed to find Aladdin a job with a company that creates rooftop gardens, run by a friend of our Outreach Officer. In the meantime, Aladdin also kept on studying English, which will help him in the future to find work in his trained profession, which is accountancy.

“Another stumbling block to reach this aim is the fact that Aladdin could not bring his diplomas from Sudan when fleeing, for which he had to start his studies from scratch in Malta. His situation is even more difficult as Aladdin is also supporting his cousin who had a stroke when arriving in Malta and is subsequently half-paralyzed. Now, Aladdin is hoping to find a good job and a place to stay in order to take care of his cousin. Through a support grant provided thanks to the PaperSeed Foundation, we have supported Aladdin in purchasing a laptop which allows him to continue his studies and hopefully find a better job and achieve his plans, in the longer term.”

We are so excited to be partnered with Kopin to serve refugee youth, and look forward to sharing more updates with you as this project continues into 2021.