From football star to begging on the streets of Khartoum: how UK Aid supports vulnerable migrants in Sudan
“The word dream is a big word…it is a word that means so much to every one of us. I dream of being a superstar, I know that I have talents and I want to show the world these talents. ”
Christen (name changed for confidentiality purposes) dreams of becoming an international football player. Originally from Nigeria, the 24 year old travelled to South America and Europe as part of a Nigerian football team. In 2015, he thought he was close to achieving that dream.
Christen was living in his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria, when he was contacted by a Nigerian man who promised to help him fulfill his dreams. Christen was told that an influential Sudanese man would give him a football contract to train and play in one of the biggest teams in Sudan. Christen accepted the ticket, packed his bags, and came to Khartoum in July 2016.
Upon his arrival in Khartoum, Christen was taken to Wad Madani, located in Al Jazirah State in East Central Sudan; where he found a small and deserted club with football players who all seemed weak and untrained. He let his initial disappointment go and reminded himself that he was there to train, and to become one of the best African football players of his generation. He trained for six months with very little food and coaching. His promised monthly paycheck from the football club management never came.
After six months, Christen decided to tell the football club that he no longer wished to continue training in Wad Madani, and that he wanted to go back home instead. He was told that his contract was for 4 years, despite his insistence that it was for 6 months. He was told he had no choice but to stay in Wad Madani. He panicked and was afraid. He felt trapped in a situation that he had no power to leave. He had no money left, no one to call, and nowhere to go.
Christen was helped by some friends he made in Wad Madani to go to Khartoum. He thought that once he arrived there then he would find a way to return to Lagos. He sold his laptop to cover his food and living expenses in a rundown hotel. Having sold his laptop, he came to his hotel room the following night only to find that his phone and money had been stolen.
“I had to flee the hotel as I couldn’t pay for my room and was afraid to explain that I had been robbed. I slept in the streets of Khartoum. I couldn’t tell my family back in Lagos what had become of me. I couldn’t bear the shame of telling them of my fate. My seven siblings have always been so proud of me as their youngest talented brother who would give them pride when he becomes the international football player he was destined to be. How could I tell them what had happened to me? How could I tell them that I was now broke and sleeping in the streets?”
Christen heard of the Migrant Resource and Response Centre (MRRC) through another homeless Nigerian man he met in the streets of Khartoum in January 2017. He found his way to the Centre and was relieved to find a place that could help him. He told the MRRC staff that he wanted support in going back home. The MRRC provided him with the necessary counselling support and medical attention for chest pains he had been suffering from for the past few months. “When I first came to the MRRC, my mind and body were broken and now I feel I can finally see clearly again after months of agony”, said Christen, adding that he only wished he had known of the MRRC earlier.
When asked what he would say to others who would want to take a similar journey as his, he replied: “Leaving home is simple, but coming back can be difficult. Don’t leave your home unless you trust and know your route. Don’t be led by illusions that things will sort themselves out. Plan and always know how you will go home if anything happens.”
The Migrant Resource and Response Centre, where Christen found the support he needed, was established In October 2015 by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Justice. The Centre equips migrants with information and knowledge to make informed migration choices, and provides access to services to address the immediate needs of vulnerable migrants. The Centre, the first of its kind in Sudan, provides migrants with a range of services, including psycho-social counseling, medical assistance, information sessions on the risks of irregular migration, and assisted voluntary return and reintegration of stranded migrants from Sudan to their countries of origin. Through its mobile response team, the MRRC also provides immediate assistance to migrants who cannot access the premises. The UK Department for International Development started funding the MRRC from January 2017, enabling IOM to expand the services to a wider range of vulnerable migrants in Khartoum.
