Even this week MEDUs’ team was operating at the hotspot of Pozzallo where women and men for days and days are “waiting” to be resettled in other European countries.
“I was a happy child before they bombed my city, I milked the cows, I liked it. I called them one by one by name and they recognized my voice. My favourite came to wake me up in the morning, she called me and I went out to open the door for her and her cubs whom she fed. Now, you are talking, and my mind goes far way in Sudan, in Libya, when I came back and didn’t find anyone. One day an arab man left me in the desert, we dug some wells, one day he left me with a bit of food and didn’t come back for a month. I ate some semolina with water, I rationed the food not to die. I was in Libya for five years, it’s all calculated there, at 4pm you have to lock yourself in the house and not go out anymore. It is always tense.”
“I’ve have been having for 5 years bow a backache, stomach cramps, my head doesn’t work”. M. a young man from Sudan lets his memory and words flow while his face has the features and the fixity of a statue.
Some boys have been living in the hotspot for more than a month. The most vulnerable are those that have been displaying psychopathological symptoms since three, four and five years. For them the provision of pharmaceuticals has proven crucial following psychiatric counselling of the ASP (Provincial Sanitary Assistance). For them in particular, the stay in the hotspot becomes a further element of unacceptable suffering.
“Since last time we spoke it’s gotten worse, the palpitations haven’t stopped, I have many thoughts. A person died at home but I didn’t have the possibility to hear from them straight away, they didn’t give me the chance to call. I am alone. I hate everyone, I really don’t know why. I’ve been here for a month but no delegation has arrived. My head always hurts, it doesn’t go away. How can I stay here? I need to leave! I can’t wait”. A. 20 years old, from Sudan. .
Here is the border line that separates those who are well from those who are ill: patience! Those who are in good health can afford to be patient.
In the last couple of weeks the Medu team has identifyed victims of torture and extreme trauma with medium to serious psychic vulnerabilities who are in urgent need of adequate housing conditions essential to alleviating their torments.
The Medu team in collaboration with other actors present in the hotspot is working towards achieving this basic objective.
Valentina Gulino, psychologist Medu Team Sicily