Jamal is a refugee from Eritrea who found safety and support through AARC. This is his story, in his own words.
"For as long as I can remember, tensions between my country and Ethiopia have been a constant shadow over our lives. Although the civil war officially ended in 2000, the threat of violence never truly disappeared. I was labelled politically active because I believed in a free and peaceful Eritrea."
"One night in January last year, everything changed. I was taken from my home in the dead of night, held for three weeks, and tortured over and over again. When I was finally released, I returned home only to discover that my brother had been killed, and my wife, sister-in-law, and oldest daughter had been raped. We were shattered."
Jamal made the difficult decision to flee, leaving his wife and children behind. His journey took him through Libya, where he was betrayed by traffickers, forced into hard labour, beaten daily, and given barely enough food and water to survive.
When he finally reached the UK, Jamal was placed in a hotel with nothing but a tracksuit and trainers. He had no phone to contact his family, who believed he had died.
Thankfully, someone from AARC was at the hotel when he arrived in Aberdeen. They provided clean clothes, toiletries, and - most importantly - a phone so he could let his family know he was alive. AARC connected him with a counsellor who understood trauma, helped him register with a GP, and introduced him to other Eritreans in the area.
"Just a few weeks ago, I received the news that my asylum claim had been accepted," Jamal says. "I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Now I'm focused on rebuilding my life, and I hope to work in the NHS, giving back to the people of Scotland who have shown me such kindness."
"I'll never be able to repay the people at AARC for what they did for me during the darkest time of my life. They didn't see me as just an asylum seeker - they saw me as Jamal, a person who was struggling but still worth helping."