Can you help give me a chance at a life outside of Yemen?

My name is Akram. I was born in a rural place in the mountains of Yemen. I left Yemen years ago looking for a better life. My dream was to travel the world and discover other cultures and ways of life, hopefully eventually settling in a country where I could feel free to live the way I choose. This sense of freedom is sadly lacking in many Middle Eastern countries.

I am now in Egypt. Due to the current war in Yemen I cannot return there, and I have no real desire to. There are no opportunities for me there.

I have not found much opportunity in Egypt either, but due to my Yemeni passport it is very difficult for me to travel to any other country. I have been here in Egypt for years now and have worked in various jobs but never been able to earn more than enough to just barely subsist. For a while I lived on an organic permaculture farm in Dahab, Sinai and, for the most part, this was a very happy time for me. I love animals and enjoyed caring for them and growing fruit and vegetables in a sustainable way. I worked hard on the farm and made some real improvements and loved seeing the fruits of my labour when it was time to harvest the fruits and vegetables we had planted. This little farm in Dahab is a very special place but my work there was on a volunteer basis and so I was not able to make or save any money. I still felt trapped in an country that seemed oppressive and my environment was pervaded by an ideology that I do not agree with. I am not a Muslim and that makes it difficult for me to live here where I am expected to follow Islam. My dream is to leave the Middle East and live somewhere where I can feel free to be myself.

After a series of unfortunate events I found myself having to leave the farm in Dahab. I am now in Cairo and have nowhere to live, I've lost all my belongings and have no money. I have not lost my dream for a better life outside of the Middle East.

I am asking for help now to get my life back on track. In the short term I need a place to stay, and some income while I find a job. If I can raise enough money (via this site, and and hopefully form working, earning and saving) I hope to be able to use it to travel outside of Egypt and start a new life in a country where I can feel free from the restraints imposed by the culture here in Egypt. I know this will not be easy but I am prepared to work hard and do what it takes to achieve my dream. I have a friend in Costa Rica who would help me if I could make it there and this is my goal. My friend Lucy in England would also help me if I could make it to the UK.

I don't speak English very well and I'm grateful to my close friend, Lucy, for helping me to set up this page and with the text.

Lucy's words:

When I first met Akram I was struck by how happy he was with his simple life on the the farm and amazed at how hard he worked, day in, day out. We quickly became close and I tried to help him to leave Egypt. I bought him a plane ticket and hoped that he would be able to travel with me to my next destination where I had organised a volunteer placement for us both, caring for animals on a Caribbean island. I had carefully researched what visas were necessary and I was confident that everything was in place to make the journey. However, Akram was not allowed to board his plane and vague "immigration restrictions" were cited although despite petitioning the airline I have never been given a proper explanation for why he was denied boarding. Neither have they refunded any of the airfare. We parted ways and stayed in touch. It became clear that Akram had lost much of his spirit and fallen into a state of really low morale. I still want to help Akram achieve his dream of leaving Egypt but financially there is very little I can do to help him at the present time. I know that given an opportunity he will work his guts out to make his own way. It is really upsetting for me to see him in his current situation having absolutely nothing at all and I wanted to set this page up for him to at least set him on his way, and raise his morale enough to get him back to the happy, hopeful, strong and spirited man that I knew from our time on the farm. If you are looking at this page is it likely that you already know Akram as it will be circulated amongst his network. If you don't know him I can understand why you might not feel inclined to help this one person in a world where millions are in poverty and suffering similar deprivations and lack of opportunity. I don't really know what I can do to persuade you to help but all I can say is that to me, this man is truly deserving of a little help and any small donation that you can spare will really go a long way towards his welfare in Egypt. You can donate as little as £1. Every single pound will be gratefully received and much appreciated.

All funds will go directly to Akram apart from the small fee taken by the website. I chose this website because it seemed to work within Egypt but payment options were limited and so I have changed the settings to UK and all funds will be directed via myself. If you have any questions feel free to ask and either myself or Akram will get back to you.

Many thanks for considering helping Akram.