My name is Farah Gedi and I’m a UNHCR refugee. I’m from the Capital city of Somalia, Mogadisho. I was born and raised in Mogadisho. Following the Somali Civil War, in the absence of an effective central government, significant areas of the country have been ruled by Somali Warlords (in Somali = dagaal oogayaal). Immediately following the 1991 break-down of law and order in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, many criminally minded individuals and groups sought to profit from the ensuing chaos. Army bases and police stations were ransacked. Militias stole all they could carry in guns and ammunitions. As a member of a minority clan (Edit: Somalia has a caste system like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal) my life is not secure in any region of Somalia. I frequently suffered abuse, torture, discrimination, life threatening and other atrocities, that is why I fled my home country. Having reached Hong Kong as an asylum seeker I’m categorically prohibited to work and study. I am given basic necessities food, shelter, that does not cover the basic needs. I think I’m an ordinary human being, but became I am a refugee many of my fundamental human rights were violated and I was forced to flee my homeland.
Nobody chooses to become a refugee! I believe that I deserve special consideration and I am personally willing to take responsible steps to meet my needs in Hong Kong. Now every day is like “holiday” for me: I wake up in the morning and go out of the house, I don’t know where I’m heading. I feel so sad when I see people coming in and out from the buses and MTR rushing to work. I feel half of my life is missing, that I fell out of the frying burn and into the fire. I remember every moment the insurmountable obstacles forcing me literally into a hand to mouth existence. I risk losing my physical and mental health as well as faith in humanity. However, I face the challenge of an uprooted life with the support of my family and community. The day is too long, when the night approaches I remember the nights I passed because I don’t get prober sleep, I starve to get sleep. My worst worries start at month ends: I don’t know how to pay either Electricity and Water bill within the limit of my tiny allowance. The people of the charity Vision First deserve much thanks for their tireless support, because they help us pay electricity, water, and also deposit for our home. I have no future here in Hong Kong, but hopefully a change will come sooner. I also pray my country end the civil war to resume peace again in the name of God.
