«He can’t wait to go home: his mother, father and sister are looking forward to him. Now they are only asking to embrace him again ”: the date set is April 30, in Rome, in the offices of the Embassy of Ghana in Italy. This is where the journey back to Salomon’s home will begin. «We met him a year ago when he found refuge in the avenue of our house, in Pontecagnano. At first we had some fears then, over time, we began to take care of him by bringing him food and some support to face the night », says Mrs. Marinella Sessa. “Right from the start, however – he continues – we understood that he had problems, imbalances and that he needed assistance”. It is at this point that the story of solidarity and true friendship that binds Mrs. Marinella and Salomon begins. The lady understood that the boy needed help and requested the intervention of a volunteer from the tent, Gerardo Ragosa. Together they made sure that Salomon was admitted to the Quiet.
During the days of hospitalization (foreseen by the Tso procedure) Mrs. Marinella never left Salomon alone and, in addition to supporting him from a material point of view (“I took him from the toothbrush to any other object he needed”) she began to take care also of his situation. “I found out that he could no longer get in touch with his family because I believe his cell phone had been stolen. He no longer had any number, he was lost and terrified. It often happened that he ran away. Once he was found by the carabinieri in Montecorvino where he was without any reason and without knowing why he was there, “he explains. The lady did not lose heart and managed, through a series of online searches, to contact a friend of Salomon who lives in Naples.
«First I verified that he was indeed a well-meaning person and a true friend of Salomon, then I managed to put them in contact and they saw each other via the web. Later he heard his uncle in Spain who had been waiting for him for years and his family in Ghana (dad dentist) who were anxious because they hadn’t heard from them for months ». The lady discovered that Salomon had arrived in Italy aboard a boat and was headed for Spain, where his uncle is located. As a result of the Dublin Treaty, however, he was trapped in Italy since it is the first country of arrival and here all the procedures must be carried out to allow transit to another State.
«He is an excellent cook and has also worked in a famous restaurant in Salerno. Unfortunately, however, it is complicated for a person with Salomon’s problems to be able to hold a job without also having medical support », explains Ms. Marinella. Salomon arrived in Italy when he was 16 and it is not clear what happened to undermine his mental balance so deeply but Mrs. Marinella like all the people who assisted her in this journey, are certain that returning to Ghana and all his family’s affection will be Salomon’s first and foremost cure. “Through the repatriation projects of the Ministry of the Interior managed by the Information and Education Development Center (Cies) – he explains – we were able to bring Salomon back into the plan and he will also be granted a small sum to open a new business once home . He is also a very good carpenter, I am sure he will have his ransom ». The only obstacle, however, was money: the expenses of the Ministry cover the travel of the repatriate but not of the companion. And Salomon cannot face such a long journey (including a stopover) alone.
“And so I had the idea of lighting a small flame of hope for Salomon and with the glasses for limoncello transformed into ceramic – says Ms. Marinella – I managed to collect over 2 thousand euros to cover the expenses for Ali Ibrahim, the mediator who will accompany him ». Mrs. Marinella, together with her husband, is the soul of a shop in Pastena that produces objects of the traditional Vietri ceramics. «I have to thank all the operators and doctors of the Quiet and all those who took Salomon’s situation to heart. For me – he continues – it was an important meeting and, thanks also to the contact with Ali, we are already active to help another boy who is in Naples and who wants to go home ».
Eleonora Tedesco