Some time ago I accompanied Buba to pick up some test results and to book a visit to the medical examiner. Simon, Carl and Damian turned up to say hello, and Silvia, one of our volunteers who lives near the doctor, also joined us.
Unfortunately, over the past year, the pandemic has affected us, our work and many of our projects, that just saying hello in person has become some kind of an achievement.
Before, our meetings were attended by as many as twenty participants at a time, and for many of them it was a really significant moment. So, you can imagine how these people must have felt, them whom iI Nido has become some kind of a family.
And what we regret most is that for the people coming to the Nido, whose lives are filled with uncertainty and constantly in the making, every lost day, every missed occasion can make things very much harder and tougher. Yet, without the Nido things would be worse, that’s what we’re often told. That is good enough for us to keep going, despite all odds, and the fact that during this pandemic we work twice, three-times as hard to have the same result. We really hope we’ll be able to soon catch up on all the backlog.
Did you know that for an asylum seeker seeing a medical examiner can be crucial?
Often people come to us with clear signs of torture, but for the people assessing their asylum applications, a simple medical report is not enough, let alone seeing the scars.
However, a medical examiner’s report, certifying when their injuries are consistent with their story, can really make a difference.
The trouble, unfortunately, is that many applicants do not even know what a medical examiner is, or where to find one. And it is not easy to find a medical examiner who works pro bono. For an asylum seeker, who often does not even have enough money to charge their phone, this can be a big problem.
If you have any question, you can write an email to piacenza@ilgrandecolibri.com
The answers will be published on the Nido del Colibrì page!
translation by Antonio Pauletta
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