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An Ethiopian asylum seeker will take part in the Great Manchester Run to raise vital funds for the charity which took him off the streets and saved his life.
Hanes Abdulkadir is an asylum seeker from Ethiopia where he was a political activist. His father was imprisoned and killed by the ruling party, and two years later he was detained and tortured by the police because of his campaigning.
Fearing for his life he fled, seeking asylum in the UK. However, like two-thirds of asylum seekers, Hanes was refused sanctuary. He was told to go home but was not deported. Instead he was left destitute with no right to work or to claim benefits.
Hanes says: “I was cold and depressed. I was forced to sleep on the streets and struggled to survive. I did not know how I would get through each day.”
Hanes was put in touch with the Boaz Trust, a small Manchester based charity, who gave him a safe place to live, food to eat, and helped him to access healthcare.
Last year Hanes was detained by the Home Office who tried to deport him. But his home country
refused to have him back and he was released again two months later. Still they refused support and Hanes turned to the Boaz Trust once again.
Hanes lives in limbo land, unable to return home, and fearing for his life if he does, but not allowed to work in the UK to support himself.
On Sunday (16 May) Hanes will complete the Great Manchester Run to raise vital funds for the Boaz Trust. This time Hanes is choosing to run, and hopes that money he raises will save the
lives of more asylum seekers like himself.
To sponsor Hanes go to www.justgiving.com/Hanes