ITALY — What people who have made the life-threatening journey from Africa to Europe need more than anything else is positive human contact, according to Dr Graham Hutt, UBS Migrant Ministry Consultant. After many months of travelling, on foot or in overcrowded trucks, across thousands of miles of desert in search of a better life in Europe, their dreams are shattered when they are often met with hostility and suspicion from the authorities and local people. But, in one European city at least, there are small rays of hope.

In Rome, several missions and Churches are already working among migrants. The Bible Society in Italy is playing an active role in supporting this very important ministry. During an 18-month period living in Rome, Dr Hutt worked closely with the Society to undertake demographic research in order to identify the needs of the migrants and to make available Scriptures in appropriate languages to those involved in working among them.

Need is clear

As an extension of this activity, Dr Hutt has been advising International Teams Refugee Ministries (ITRM)*, which is supported by the Evangelical Alliance, as it draws up plans for a permanent centre where full-time staff will help migrants. The need is clear: the streets of the city are currently home to thousands of people who are waiting for the government to process their applications for asylum. This can take between two and three years, and during this time they are not allowed to work or to leave the country. It is very hard for them to find shelter, food, clothing and medical care. Pushed to the margins of society, they feel unwanted, isolated and in great need of caring relationships. Some have never been exposed to Christianity, while others are from Christian backgrounds but need encouragement to continue to follow God’s Word. While their immediate needs are practical, believers who work among them can sow seeds of love and concern that are remembered for a lifetime, says Dr Hutt.

Sahro fled

When the ITRM centre opens, life will start to become easier for more of those who have travelled the ‘Refugee Highway’. They include people like Sahro, a 28-year-old migrant from Somalia whose story is told below by an International Teams worker.

“Four years ago, Sahro fled from Somalia to Ethiopia with her mother and two sisters, leaving her husband behind. She has not heard from him since. She was pregnant at the time. Conditions in Ethiopia were difficult and she decided to attempt the dangerous journey to Italy. Her mother and sisters chose to remain behind.

“She followed the well-travelled route of the Refugee Highway to Sudan, where she arranged for people-smugglers to drive her across the Sahara to Libya. The desert crossing would take three weeks.

Perilous

“The vehicle came upon 35 dead bodies in the sand, presumably refugees who had failed to survive this perilous stretch of the Highway. This terrible sight shocked her so much that she went into labour prematurely.

“It was a miracle that both Sahro and her baby survived the birth, but it appears that the people who tried to help her may have damaged the baby’s central nervous system. Her daughter, Iman, was born severely handicapped.

Smuggled

“There was no time to delay the journey through the desert, though. They somehow managed to survive and arrived in Tripoli. She paid the usual fee of US$1,200 to be smuggled across the Mediterranean in a crowded boat to the shores of Italy. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people die on this hazardous stretch of the Highway every year, but they were fortunate. They reached Italy alive and were taken to a refugee processing centre shortly afterwards.

“The normal procedure is for refugees to be provided with food and shelter for a few weeks, then turned out onto the streets. The government took pity on Sahro, though, and sent her to a hospital near the Vatican. For the last four years, she has slept in a chair at her daughter’s bedside. She has no other home, and the hospital supplies no meals.

“Iman’s condition has slowly deteriorated, and she is no longer able to swallow. Her mouth is dry and her lips are peeling. Every breath is accompanied by a painful barking sound.

Find food

“Sahro has to leave her daughter to find food and support from the Somali community on the other side of the Tiber River. It is a long journey on overcrowded buses. But despite all her suffering and sorrow, she has not become self-absorbed. It is very humbling to see how she always has smiles to share with others.

“She welcomed my offer to pray for them. It seemed to be the first time that anybody had prayed over her daughter. She expressed deep gratitude for my prayer on her behalf. It was an honour for me to be with her and to see her beautiful disposition.”

Victor

On the same visit to Rome, the International Teams worker also met Victor, a migrant from Sierra Leone.

“Victor was with some other migrants who were hanging out in the only daytime centre open to them in the city. It’s in the basement under a church. I struck up a conversation with this tall, strong man. He quickly made it clear that he did not want to tell me his story, but he then began sharing painful fragments of it with me.

“Victor has seen war up close. As he spoke, it was like the dam holding back his fears. I was afraid that he might explode or completely break down. He was on the edge of losing all hope and he knew it.I asked him if I could pray with him. I was hoping that God might somehow keep the dam from breaking and bring a measure of peace to his mind. He shook his head and asked me how anyone could believe in or trust a God that allows the world to be so filled with evil. He did not want to pray to such a God.

“I gave him the hope he needed to not be overcome by the darkness of his own story. That was the Gospel for the moment.”