by Pamela Kerpius
Italy Correspondent & Founder

1 February 2020

“People were shouting for God,” he said, and I’ll never forget it. That’s what Phillip (Nigeria) told me about his terrifying time crossing the Mediterranean, weeks before I met him on Lampedusa in 2017.

I remember the crinkle in his brow then from the horrific distress he suffered in Libya. And three years later, now homeless on the streets of Livorno, Italy, that wrinkle cuts even deeper.

I never could have imagined after his terror and his cries to God, looking death in the face, that years later he’d be rejected from society and still find no relief from his pain and fear.

This is the reality on the streets of Italy and we cannot look away.

His video is live on his first #ThroughTheirEyes post now and I’m personally asking you to see it. I am concerned for Phillip’s well-being.

Phillip is a prideful person, articulate and naturally confident. But I can tell you from speaking to him that he is losing hope.

See his video now. Listen to his voice. And follow the #ThroughTheirEyes Instagram series, where we will share more of Phillip’s footage as we receive it.

And please, donate. So we may keep telling Phillip’s story and so many others’ like it. They deserve to be seen and heard and we will not quit until they are.