Lets help Paul and Sam!

Let’s help Paul and Sam

We would like to share with you our story about our dear friends Paul Asema Yongo and Sam Fatty who we met this summer in Greece. Our son Preston was selected to play on a soccer team traveling to Greece to compete against several Greek teams. Among many players we met were two skilled 20 year old boys Paul and Sam who played on the Aiolikos Greek team. They shared with us their stories of how they made their journey to Lesvos, Greece.

Paul is a native of Cameroon, Africa and Sam is a native of Gambia, Africa. Both countries suffer from oppressive circumstances, such as poverty, economic turmoil, repressive government and injustices of human rights. These harsh living conditions forced Paul and Sam to flee their native countries. We were so touched as they shared with us their heartbreaking stories of how they migrated to Greece as refugees from Africa. It is incomprehensible how someone survives such places and often times they don’t. Both of Paul’s parents were tortured and killed by political rebels. Without parents, Paul and his brother managed to escape from Cameroon and lived in Nigeria for five months seeking a new life. His brother was captured and brought to the Cameroon prison. It has been two years since he has seen his brother and it is not likely he will ever see him again. Paul took the risky journey making arrangements with smugglers to travel through many Mediterranean countries until he reached Turkey. He begged for food and relied on smugglers to help him find places to sleep. The Turkish government does not respect human rights, they would not grant Paul asylum. Not being able to seek asylum in Turkey he was once again at the mercy of finding smugglers to arrange a boat ride to Greece. Lesvos, Greece was the closest port approximately 20 miles away. He traveled in a boat full of men, women and children refugees. In the middle of the night the Greek Coast Guard spotted them and brought them to shore. They were then put on a bus and driven to the Moria refugee camp in Lesvos.

Like Paul, Sam fled his native country of Gambia. His parents were killed when he was four years old and he was raised by a strict grandmother. As he got older she did not approve or support his interest to play soccer and his desire to get an education. She did not want him to leave and seek life outside their cultural practices and values that had been passed down from generation to generation. He knew he needed to leave in order to pursue his own passions. Sam left Gambia and started his migration to Libya. When he could not find a smuggler to drive him to get through the next bordering country he would work cleaning jobs for 2-3 weeks at a time in order to pay a driver to drive him as far as his money would buy him. He continued to work to pay smugglers until he finally arrived in Turkey. He too had to leave Turkey because they would not grant him asylum. He was told smugglers would help him get to Greece by boat. There was hope that Lesvos, Greece would offer him more opportunities. Now Paul and Sam were in a foreign country, not speaking the language, no money, simply no resources. By the time they arrived to the refugee camp they experienced trauma on a scale that most of us can barely comprehend. They arrived exhausted, hungry, and scared. It was in the Moria refugee camp where Paul and Sam met for the first time. In Lesvos, they joined thousands of refugees from around the world all trying to seek asylum. Paul lived in Moria for one year and Sam lived in the camp for seven months. Paul described how unkept and overcrowded the camp was with limited food and medical assistance. Life for Paul and Sam changed when they met a well-known Greek soccer coach named Evangelos Spanos. Spanos established the Cosmos FC team which was created to support refugees and immigrants living in Moria. Thanks to his efforts, young refugees can dream of professional sports careers. Paul and Sam showed their soccer talents and proved to be skilled enough to be promoted to the Aiolikos third Division team where they now play. They were able to leave the refugee camp and now live in the team housing. The team provides residency and meals however, they are not getting paid to play. They are grateful for the opportunity this team has provided them however, with limited resources life is still very challenging. In addition, the boys have had much difficulty receiving the proper documentation to secure their asylum in Greece. Paul has been granted refugee status and just one month ago Paul finally received his passport after six months of anxiously waiting. However, Sam has not been so fortunate. The Greek government has denied his asylum twice despite his cry for help. He is patiently waiting for a court date to hopefully achieve asylum. Unfortunately, there is a lot of pushback and bureaucracy that occurs in Greece and they have not been able to grant him refugee status because Gambia is still considered a “safe” country despite the crime and persecution that exists. At any time Sam can be deported back to Gambia. Without asylum and without a passport Sam is not considered an official player on the team. He cannot travel with the soccer team or play in any of the official games without this documentation. Sam can only participate in the soccer trainings. He cannot even work without this very essential paperwork. He remains stateless.

This harsh reality is very demoralizing. His freedoms are nonexistent. More frightening is Sam runs the risk of being deported back to Gambia. He needs legal representation to help him acquire refugee status but, he does not have any money to hire an attorney. The boys feel alone despite being on the team. There are many racial barriers and stigmas associated with African refugees. They feel disconnected, afraid and live in a constant state of stress due to their unfortunate circumstances. Even with Paul’s passport and the racial discrimination that exists he is very unlikely to get hired for a job. Without a formal education it will hinder his opportunity to progress in society. Their freedoms are minimal. Thankfully Paul and Sam have become good friends and have each other to help support one another. They pray to God each day for a new and more promising tomorrow. Their faith gives them hope. When the boys are playing soccer it helps them escape the years of psychological trauma. They have a passion to play soccer and dream of one day getting a pro contract. They work hard and do a lot of additional training on their own time to become better players. Despite all of the hardships they have had in their young lives, they continue to have hope for a better future. They have dreams of getting a high school diploma and one day going to college. The journey Paul and Sam have made is motivated by a simple desire to build a life where they can fulfill their potential, free from conflict, oppression and poverty.

As awkward as this is, we have decided to reach out to you for help. Please consider assisting us to raise some money for them. Your help will provide them with the opportunity to have bare necessities such as clothing, toiletries, bus transportation and medical expenses. Please share this Go Fund Me page freely. If we can each chip in $5, $10 or any amount you wish, we can help change their lives. Every penny counts! All monies received will go directly to us and we will make sure Paul and Sam get every bit of your contributions. Paul and Sam are more than our friends, they are now part of our family. Feel free to contact us directly. Click on the contact button and you can reach us.

With Love and Compassion,

Anthony and Pam