Mohsen’s story
"My name is Mohsen, I fled Sudan at 15 years old. I arrived in London alone in February 2020.
Before I reached the UK, I was in kept in prison by militias for months. I can’t describe to you in English or in my language. If you talk differently they will beat you. They don't want you there. I stayed quiet all the time, I didn't talk. I didn't want no one to hurt me.
When I arrived in France, I had to walk two days to the Calais camp. I was there for three months. It was a horrible time, it was as if they couldn’t see that you are human. I tried 50 times to get away from there.
The police there say 'England is not heaven'. And I said ‘We are already in the hell.'
I got to London only one month before the pandemic and everything was closing. I was sent to a hostel. Other people I met in France were transported to other cities, like Manchester. I was alone at first and didn’t feel good.
Yes, I will donate to help young people like Mohsen
In the summer one of my appointments was at the Cardinal Hume Centre with my teacher, Jenny. We have English lessons every week. A few months at the Centre helped me to get into a local college and make friends.
In the UK you have human rights and nobody cares what colour you are. They don't care where you are from. Now I have friends, they don't care where I come from.
Last year I started volunteering at a charity to help children who are here on their own to learn English. They are from different places, but I know how they feel at the start. They don’t trust staff. They are shy and afraid of making a mistake. So I help them and tell them, “You can do it!”
It is difficult to describe what it is like being alone, without my family, but my journey is not finished. My dream now is to be a mechanical engineer."
Donate to help young people like Mohsen
Children like Mohsen make up 63% of refugees from South Sudan, Often separated from their families and travelling alone. If you are able to give, you will help more young people turn their lives around
How the Cardinal Hume Centre breaks the cycle of homelessness
Focussing on isolated problems is not enough to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. That is why we listen to a person’s story and recognise the dignity and intrinsic value of every individual. The Centre’s wide range of support and partners means that people like Mohsen, get the best possible chance to turn their life around.
