The story of Yorsalem and her son Yoel is intertwined with the Lisbon Project since we first began as an organisation.
Salem, as her friends call her, fled persecution and armed conflicts in Eritrea with her then 3 year old son. She has been through four countries as a refugee, battled a life-threatening disease, risked losing her son, and is now fighting to recover her health and rebuild her life. For the last six years, since they arrived in Portugal, one of if not the only constant in Salem and Yoel’s lives has been the Lisbon Project.
Salem and Yoel are from Eritrea, one of the poorest countries in Africa, which has a serious record of human rights violations. Salem used to work as a hairdresser, but after her husband was arrested for religious reasons, she decided to leave the country with her little boy. She knew that as soon as he became a young man, Yoel would be forced to join the military and take part in the conflicts in the region. So, she paid traffickers to take them away from Eritrea while the boy was still small.
"We went to Sudan, then to Libya, then arrived in Italy by boat. It was very, very hard for my son", she remembers. They lived one year as refugees in Italy, when Salem was told they would be sent to Portugal. "I didn't even know where Portugal was, or what language was spoken in the country."
They arrived in Lisbon in 2018, and were placed in temporary accommodation. "I didn't choose Portugal. Portugal chose me."
She was determined to make a better life for her small family. "I couldn't help Yoel with the schoolwork, as I didn't speak Portuguese, so I looked around for support." A friend introduced Salem to an organization that had been created just a few months earlier: The Lisbon Project. At the time, the small team was based in the neighbourhood of Lumiar.
Salem soon became friends with the founder of LP, Gabriela Faria, and also Jodée and Pedro Luz, who serve on the leadership of the organization. Gabriela, Gaby as her friends call her, remembers that time: "She took every class available, Portuguese classes, employability classes, everything. And also used all the help that was available for Yoel, from school homework support to sports lessons." she says. "Yoel was the most social boy ever. He learned Portuguese very fast and made lots of friends."
While Yoel flourished academically and socially, Salem tried to learn Portuguese and worked in temporary jobs in supermarkets. Lisbon Project supported the family with job opportunities, school supplies, and hampers of food, among other things.
At this point, the temporary help offered by the organization that had brought Salem to Portugal was about to end, meaning she would lose her house. However, being the sole carer for a young child, with no family to help, and not being yet fluent in Portuguese, Salem had difficulty finding a permanent job.
Meanwhile, struggling to find a solution to her family's predicament, Salem started to feel ill. It was the days after Easter in 2021, and at first, it looked like a vomiting bug. "I couldn't eat anything, if I tried to eat I would vomit," Salem explains. She took herself to the hospital to be checked.
"One day, we received a phone call saying Salem was in hospital. And that she was seriously ill," says Gaby. "It was 2021 and we didn't see people so frequently because of Covid lockdowns."
It turns out Salem had a brain infection, so serious that she spent months in the hospital. "The doctors said she probably wouldn't survive, and if she did, she would never be able to talk or walk again," says Gaby.
The Portuguese authorities took Salem's son, Yoel, into institutionalised care. "All of a sudden this family was ripped apart. Salem was in the hospital fighting for her life, Yoel was in an institution, and because of COVID, everything was restricted," says Gaby. "We were in the outskirts, trying to make sense of the situation, and help them."
Gaby and her husband Ruben would visit Saleem at the hospital, while Jodée and Pedro Luz focused on supporting Yoel. "We visited him regularly in the institution, so he could see familiar faces and have some continuity in his life" says Jodée. The boy's situation was delicate. As he had no family in Portugal, his future was uncertain.
After several months in the institution, Yoel was placed in a foster home with Ellen, a Dutch friend who used to teach him as a volunteer in another organisation. Ellen was phenomenally loving and generous in caring for Yoel with all her strength and dedication. Jodée and Pedro remained nearby, supporting wherever they could.
In the meantime, Salem made a miracle recovery, against all doctors' predictions. She slowly regained the ability to talk and the movements of her legs and arms.
She was discharged from the hospital and placed in a recovery home, where her health continued to improve. She is now able to walk, although she has limited movements in her left leg and hand. But it doesn't prevent her from attending daily sewing lessons, Sunday church services and hoping to go back to work soon.
Now that she is able to live by herself, she has been given a new home, granted by the local authority. And furnished by Lisbon Project. "They are helping me with everything in the new house," says Salem. "They have just connected all the lighting."
"And after a lot of physiotherapy, I can now carry my bags up the stairs, by myself."
Yoel is now 11 years old and still living with Ellen. During all the years they have been in Portugal, the common thread in Yoel and Salem's life has been the unwavering support of the Lisbon Project.
"I come here every Family Friday, and also during the week" says Salem, referring to the community events organised by Lisbon Project. Sitting on an armchair next to a ping pong table at the lounge, after having a piece of cake, she summarises it: "Lisbon Project is my family."
The lisbon project exists to make a difference in the lives of migrants and refugees.
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