Ammanuel arrived in the UK a year ago, having fled the continuing conflict in his native Eritrea: having been was granted asylum he was sent to a town in Devon where he knew no one and felt afraid. He could only speak broken English, and had no knowledge or understanding of every day life in Britain. With no friends or family Ammanuel felt isolated and had no one to speak of his experiences with.

Needing to communicate with and to take support from his own community, Ammanuel travelled alone to London amidst the heaviest snowfall seen for years; with nowhere to stay, he spent two weeks sleeping rough on the streets. Ammanuel eventually made contact with the Centre’s young persons day service that found him emergency temporary accommodation in London and referred him to the Centre’s young persons residential services.

“I didn’t have a home, but then I came here.”

Since moving to the Centre, Ammanuel has been able to access the Centre’s English language classes and has made excellent progress. Being around other young people and with his continued confidence to speak and understand English he has now enrolled on a college course, where he is training to become a nurse. Ammanuel can now express the trauma and loss he feels and the Centre continues to support him to come to terms with this and his new life ahead.

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