When the Coast Guard ship approached, Omar trembled with fright, because he really couldn't go through his ordeal again......
(Omar)
Omar is 8 years old and originally lived in the Republic of Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa.
Mali is poor, and Omar's family is even poorer, but Omar's family is trying to live happily.
Until four months ago, the happy life was shattered.
An armed group attacked Omar's hometown, and in the midst of the fighting, Omar was separated from his family......
(Fighting often breaks out in Omar's hometown)
Finding out about his situation, little Omar seemed to feel that he could no longer live in his hometown, and instead of rushing to find his parents, he decided to take responsibility for his life - he wanted to go to school.
Omar knew that his family could not afford him to go to a good school, and that he would only be able to obtain the knowledge he wanted by going all the way north, across the Mediterranean to Europe.
So he traveled all the way, joined a number of travelers, crossed the Sahara Desert, and arrived in Libya.
But as soon as he arrived in Libya, he was captured by a local armed group and forced to work as a welder and painter......
(In Libya, many children are forced to work)
Thankfully, no one pays attention to an 8-year-old.
Omar finally found an opportunity to sneak away from the kidnappers, to the coast, and board a ship that was smuggling into Europe.
(Smuggling off the coast of Libya)
Unfortunately, the smuggling failed, and Omar was captured by Libya's coast guard and imprisoned in the notorious Ain Zara prison.
There are many refugees and immigrants who want to be smuggled in prisons, and their living conditions are very poor, and they are beaten and scolded by prison officials at every turn, and some female prisoners are even violated by prison guards.
(Prison environment)
Thankfully, Umar met some kind adults, who hid him in a garbage can and smuggled him out of prison, and he went to the coast of Zawiyah, just outside Tripoli, to board a small boat that was smuggled into Europe for the second time......
This time, Omar's hard days have finally come to an end.
On the boat, he met a little brother named Omar (here he is called the Great Omar), who had also been held in Ain Zara prison, so he recognized Omar at a glance.
Big Omar showed what it looked like to be an older brother, and under his care, little Omar finally didn't have to be afraid, although the surrounding environment was still very poor, but little Omar finally had something to rely on for the first time during the journey......
(Schematic illustration of people smuggled into Europe)
After several days of drifting at sea, the smuggling boat encountered a Coast Guard vessel.
Fortunately, this time it was not the Libyan Coast Guard that found them, but an NGO.
The group received information that an accident had occurred on a drifting migrant boat from Libya, killing about 60-100 people on board.
As soon as they dealt with the accident, they ran into Omar's stowaway boat and decided to take them back to Italy.
Angela, an Italian journalist who was involved in the rescue with the ship at the time, spotted Omar Jr., and when he told his story, Angela was stunned.
She repeatedly confirmed with the people around her, because she couldn't believe that an 8-year-old child would work so hard and be so strong in order to go to school.
She gave little Omar a piece of chalk, and little Omar drew a picture from it - a sad man......
(Painting of Omar Jr.)
When the rescue boat and the group of refugees finally docked in Ancona, northeastern Italy, the two Omar walked off the boat holding hands, embraced, and then parted ways.
Now, Omar's journey has finally come to an end.
After four months and about 5,600 kilometers, Omar finally arrived in the Europe that was close to his heart......
(Omar's travel route)
The director of the immigration center said that when they examined Omar, they found that he had been severely abused along the way, with many scars on his body and a fracture on his heel.
Such injuries are unbearable for adults, but this 8-year-old seems to have become accustomed to pain.
But what moved them even more was Omar's desire to learn.
At that time, they took Omar to meet a mediator from Mali.
"Where's your mother?" the mediator asked in Omar's native dialect.
"In Mali," Omar replied.
"Where's your dad?"
"In Mali. ”
Omar said he remembered his father's phone number, so they called Omar's father's phone for the first time in four months.
After the phone was answered, Omar started talking to his father.
"I'm sorry Dad, I didn't tell you before. But here I am, Dad, and I did. ”
"Where are you?"
"On the other side of the sea, I'm in Europe. Can I go to school now, Daddy?"
(Omar who was treated)
Today, the migrant center is working to house Omar and other migrant children in the hope of finding a primary school in Italy that would like to take them in.
Omar is undoubtedly the one who is most excited among the children.
Every morning, when the children at the center finish breakfast, Omar asks the people in the center with anticipation, "Am I going to school?"
Now, Omar's journey is over, but his life's journey has just begun. I hope he can seize this opportunity and change his life......