Gebril Salem Mohamed Sallam

Mohamed Sallam Gebril Salem was born in Fayoum (Egypt) on 20 October 2006. His family was in need, and at the age of 14, he realised that he had to help them by finding a job. He went to Cairo, but after a few months as a dishwasher, he was no longer being paid. He decided to come to Italy with other young people and his little cousin. His father tried to dissuade him in every way possible. He had already paid for his older brother’s journey, who had arrived in Italy two years earlier via the Balkan route, considered less dangerous. For Gebril, the only option was to travel by sea, which was much cheaper but dramatically risky. Gebril was determined: he went to Libya, worked, and waited to make the crossing. One night, he is taken to the port of Tripoli and loaded onto a boat. He knows he could die. He spends 30 hours at sea, without food or water, until the Lampedusa coastguard rescues him and the other occupants of the boat. He is taken to a reception centre for minors in Agrigento, but he is unwell. With the little money he managed to hide, he buys a train ticket to the north, first to Milan, then to Udine. He now lives at Don Emilio De Roia’s Casa dell’Immacolata in Udine. He has obtained his lower secondary school diploma and works as an assistant chef in a local restaurant. This is how he supports himself and helps his family in Egypt. He dreams of a future in Italy.