Stories behind our pa t i e n ts

My Auntie said: “Wait A Moment, I’ll be right back“

The 13-year-old Jon* came to our outpatient clinic in August 2011. His social workers from the residential care unit were worried

about him since he always seemed to be sad and he also suffered from insomnia. On most days he was so exhausted that he

simply put his head down on the school desk.

Jon is originally from Guinea. His mother died while giving birth to his younger sister when he was seven years old. After his

mother’s death he lived with his father. He says that they got on well and had a proper bachelors’ house.

Yet three years ago everything changed. His father was arrested because the government believed he was part of the opposition.

When “the men” came, Jon was alone at home with his dad. They hit his father and took him with them. Jon stayed behind, alone.

He was completely devastated and asked his neighbours for help. They took care of him for a short while and contacted his aunt

in Europe. She flew to Guinea, arranged for a fake passport and took him to Germany. Suddenly, however, she left him alone at

the airport. He remembers that she said before she left, “Wait a moment, I’ll be right back.” However, she did not return and at

night the airport security approached the boy and handed him over to the police.

Today he lives in residential care for teenagers. When the others laugh, he does not feel anything. He is constantly brooding and

wondering if his father is still alive and how he could have helped him. Jon feels betrayed, abandoned and forgotten. He does not

see any reason to continue his life at all. Nothing seems to have importance any more. Sometimes he thinks about committing

suicide by hanging himself with a rope. Since his German is not yet so good he does not have many people he can talk to.

A few days ago he started talking a bit more in our outpatient clinic although he still has great difficulty in describing his thoughts

and feelings. With the help of an interpreter he can participate and express himself in counselling sessions and has the feeling

that he is being heard and understood. Jon said that in the meantime he wants to live. Above all because he hopes to see his

father again one day.

* Name changed.

Stories behind our pa t i e n ts

When Amim arrived in Germany he hoped that things would finally improve

Amim was born in Afghanistan. During the war he watched as his father was shot dead. After this his mother was petrified that

something could happen to him as well and arranged for him to escape from Afghanistan with human traffickers. Amim was to

have a better future.

The escape took several months and was sometimes extremely dangerous. In Turkey he hid with other refugees in a house and

all they had to eat were water melons. One night he escaped with the help of traffickers in a rubber dinghy to Greece. He stayed

with other boys in a sheltered flat for young people. Amim often thought about his family back home and Afghanistan. When the

other boys asked him about what had happened to his family, Amim got extremely angry and upset.

Amim now lives in Germany. When his social worker asks him how he made it to Germany, Amim doesn’t know the answer. He

has forgotten. Amim is afraid of going to school since he doesn’t understand the teacher or the other pupils. He finds it

sometimes hard to concentrate as there are so many things on his mind. In addition to that Amim behaves strangely. The other

students were surprised when somebody slammed the door shut and Amim paniced and ran away. Amim missed class the next

day. Sometimes Amim is depressed when he arrives at school and he often reacts in an irritable and angry manner when he is

spoken to. At night he cannot fall asleep because he cannot stop thinking about the war and his murdered father. He sometimes

suffers from nightmares and is then exhausted the next day at school.

His biggest wish is to become a famous football player one day since he loves football.

* Name changed.

Stories behind our pa t i e n ts

“I often think I’m going crazy and can’t do anything about it”

“My name is Tano*, I am 16 years old and have been living in Germany for the past eight months. I am originally from Africa, from

a small town right next to the sea. I enjoyed swimming and now and again I spent time with my friends on the beach at night

although this was actually not allowed. Yet we always had good fun.

I loved my parents dearly: my dad was always a lot of fun and we played football together. My mum was the best cook ever.

Nowadays, I sometimes try to cook like her but that makes me sad and the food does not taste of anything any more.

One day, everything changed. My parents and I went to a demonstration. I don’t even know what it was about. I think the people

protested against the fact that the government forbade you to express your own opinion. At least, that is what my parents

explained to me back then. They were often very dissatisfied with the situation. All of a sudden I heard gunfire and then there was

only blood and screams. Everybody ran for their lives and I couldn’t see my mother any more. I ran too and my dad was next to

me. Then he was gone. I don’t remember anything else.

Suddenly I found myself in a military vehicle with many other men and women. There was another boy of my age. My hands and

feet were chained and I had no clue what was going on. The following two weeks in prison were the worst time of my entire life. I

cannot talk about what happened and I pray each day that I will forget it someday. I heard in the news later on that many people

were shot dead at this demonstration. My parents were killed too.

I now live in Germany but I am still afraid. I try to stay awake as long as I can each night since the dreams return when I fall

asleep…and then the whole story begins again. Again and again. I often think I am going crazy and cannot do anything about it.”

*Name changed.