FINDING HOPE FAR FROM HOME
For about 60 years, John Gwe called the North West Region of Cameroon a home. It was where he built his life, raised his four children, seven grandchildren and worked on his plantation farm which he loved. But in just some few years, his home became a place of fear.
The quiet comfort of rural life was shattered by violence based on suspicion. John, a farmer and shop owner, suddenly found himself accused of a crime he did not commit.
His only “crime” was owning a plantation which unknown to him, separatist fighters had used as a hideout. When the security forces found out, John was blamed and accused of supporting insurgents. “It was serious,” he recalls. “I was attacked from both sides. I did not know who I could trust. I was so depressed that I had to run.”
Under the cover of darkness, John left behind everything; his home, his land, his wife, children and grandchildren and slipped across the border into Nigeria.
In another man’s land, safety did not greet him. “I slept in a park, slept on the street for a week,” he says. “No bed. No food. I used to run my own shop back home. Now I was begging to eat.”
His turning point came from a stranger; a driver who listened to his story and offered him a room in his home. That single act of kindness became his anchor until he could find refuge in Canada.
Now 63, John is safe, but still separated from the family he longs to reunite with. “It has been another kind of struggle,” he says. “I had to start life all over again.”
His first asylum claim in Canada was denied. With support from PROSDOMA’s Newcomer Support and Integration Programme, his application was resubmitted and approved. He has gained access to essential services like food banks, shelters and social services.
As a beneficiary of PROSDOMA’s Capacity Building and Education Programme, John has earned his Class 4 license to drive. PROSDOMA is helping John explore employment opportunities where he can earn a living and also reclaim his dignity.
“I never imagined I would be here,” he says. “But I am grateful to PROSDOMA. I am hopeful and I am moving forward.”
By: Tracy Amankwah Peprah.
