Meet the African immigrant being helped in Madrid

CGTN Europe

Migration is a major political issue for Europe, fuelling a resurgence of far right parties across the continent.   With anti-immigration sentiment on the rise, people from Africa often face racism and rejection when they arrive in Spain.  Some groups though are offering a helping hand. Our correspondent Ken Browne reports from Madrid.  #spain #immigration #africa

Transcript

00:00Kanji comes from Gambia and is 18 years old.

00:06Like many young African migrants, he risked his life to get to Europe, but lost his brother

00:12on the way.

00:13I got a boat from Senegal to Canaria with my friends and my brother.

00:20He died.

00:21He died.

00:22We have a lot of days in a boat and after he tired, and I think too much cold, he tired

00:34that.

00:35I think that's why he died.

00:38Four people died on the nine-day journey.

00:42But even those who survive face a new world of difficulties.

00:47Kanji was lucky to meet Emilia.

00:49She got to know the kids living in a children's center in Madrid while walking her dog, but

00:58was shocked when she learned that one of the boys was sent out to fend for himself when

01:02he turned 18.

01:05How could they leave a young boy of 18, who looked like he's about 15 years old, out on

01:10the streets on his own?

01:12I took him home and that's how we started to shelter these boys.

01:17There are over 1,100 centers for minors housing over 15,000 young migrants around Spain.

01:26This center in Hortaleza was built to house 35 people, but some of the residents tell

01:30us that as many as 120 can sleep there on mattresses in the corridors sometimes.

01:37The problem is that when they turn 18, they have nowhere to go and many can be found sleeping

01:42in parks like this one here.

01:44This is where Emilia's journey began.

01:48Her NGO helps people like Kanji Babacar Anabdul with shelter, food, Spanish language classes,

01:55and with processing their papers so they can work legally.

01:59The NGO receives no official funding and survives on donations.

02:05Since the far right began with their anti-migrant messages, we've seen a real rise in racism.

02:14Spain wasn't like this before.

02:18These boys are like my children.

02:21To these politicians, I would say, come and learn, meet them, and get to know them.

02:28I would tell them to learn some respect.

02:35For Kanji, the feeling is mutual.

02:38Emilia is just like my mom.

02:40I will never forget her, inshallah, in my life.

02:44Thanks to Emilia and her organization, he can keep dreaming.

02:48My dream is to be a footballer and to play Barcelona like, yeah.

02:54Ken Brown, CTTN.

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