Patricia's (47) story differs little from that of her peers. Poverty drives her into the arms of human traffickers. Like so many others, she ended up in Naples, Italy, where she was forced to deal in drugs to pay off her debt. Until she had enough and fled to the Netherlands with her eight-year-old son. Finally freed from her exploiters, she must face new obstacles. This she does without complaining, shrugging her shoulders. "That's because I don't see myself as a victim. Without TheBridge2Hope , however, I could not have managed all this."
Success Story
You could say that Patricia is one of TheBridge2Hope’s true success stories. As a member of the very first cohort, she threw herself into the program, seeking healing and a future. Thirteen years later, life is kind to her and her son. They have their own apartment, legal documentation, and this year, Patricia will even receive a Dutch passport. Her son Kingsley (22) is studying, loves sports, has friendsand a girlfriend. To an outsider, it might seem as though everything fell into place effortlessly. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Drugs or prostitution
“I was born into a poor family in Nigeria. When I was 17, a recruiter told me I would have better opportunities for work and education in Italy. She arranged a British passport that belonged to a woman who looked like me and even lent me the money for a plane ticket to Milan.”
Patricia ended up in Naples in the hands of a madam for whom she had to work to repay the cost of the ticket. She was forced into drug dealing. “It was that or prostitution,” she says bluntly. “If I didn’t cooperate, they would harm me or my family back in Nigeria.” To reinforce those threats, they shaved her pubic and underarm hair—ritual acts meant to instill fear. Terrified of voodoo, Patricia obeyed everything she was told.
Measure full
Before long, Patricia arranged her own accommodation and began a relationship with a Nigerian man. Kingsley was born from that relationship. When her son was eight, he witnessed Patricia being arrested by the police.
“I was arrested often—it came with the territory. The madam had a lawyer who always got me released. But this time, Kingsley was taken by the child protection services because my partner had moved to the Netherlands. Miraculously, Kingsley was returned to me when I was released. After that, he cried every time he saw the police. That was the breaking point. I had worked for the madam for years, but it was never enough. I felt I had repaid my debt, and voodoo could no longer harm me. So I packed our bags and flew to the Netherlands with Kingsley.”
The bridge to hope
Patricia had an Italian residence permit, but she let it lapse. “I wanted to leave everything that happened there behind and focus on building our life in the Netherlands. At first, I felt relieved—no more police, no more madam. But I soon became depressed because we couldn’t stay with my partner, and in the Netherlands you can’t be placed in a shelter with your child.”
Without a stable home, residence permit, or job, Patricia and her son’s situation seemed bleak—until she was accepted into TheBridge2Hope’s program. “That’s when I knew everything would work out.”
The road to healing
“My healing process began at TheBridge2Hope,” Patricia says. “I never needed therapy TheBridge2Hope was my therapy. I could share my struggles with the other participants, which was liberating. And while we shared our joys and sorrows, the volunteers taught us Dutch, how to use computers, how to knit and cook.” These lessonshelps participants integrate into Dutch society, including finding jobs. Patricia succeeded several times. “Among the jobs I was working in an Italian restaurant—I’m a star at making pasta and pizza.”
Unconditional support
“TheBridge2Hope has always supported me. They helped me apply for my residence permit. Anu, TheBridge2Hope’s Program Manager, stood by me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully,I’m now cancer-free. And when Kingsley’s school alerted me because his education was suffering from all the moving, TheBridge2Hope helped set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a rentalhome. When we got the keys, Kingsley asked, ‘Mama, is this really our house?’ I told him yes—we never have to move again.”
Strong and stronger
After everything she has overcome, Patricia sees herself as a survivor. “I’m happy now, and strong. But my son is even stronger.” That’s no exaggeration. When Kingsley was five, he lost an eye to cancer.Patricia reminded him that he should be grateful that he was still alive. A continuous beating heart isn’t guaranteed—all the chemotherapy means that he is at risk of heart conditions. Kingsley explained this to presenter Tim Hofman in the documentary entitled Back to your own countryTerug Naar Je Eige Land (Back to Your Own Country), in which Hofman criticized the Dutch Government’s stance on the Children’sPardon. At the time, Kingsley and Patricia were still undocumented, and the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) wanted to deport them to Nigeria. Despite Kingsley having lived in the Netherlands for over fiveyears—and being entitled to residency under the Children’s Pardon—the IND challenged it. They also claimed his medical condition wasn’t life-threatening enough. Eventually, the Court of Appeal ruled in their favor, influenced in part by recommendation letters from Kingsley’s school, Patricia’s church, and TheBridge2Hope.
“When we finally received our permits, Kingsley asked, ‘Did we go through all that just for this little piece of plastic?’”
All's well that ends well
Kingsley’s promising future is largely thanks to his mother’s determination and optimism, and her ability to keep looking forward. “But also thanks to TheBridge2Hope,” Patricia stresses. “Without their help, I wouldn’t have made it. I will never forget that.”
Do you want to see the Terug Naar Je Eige Land (Back to Your Own Country) documentary? You can watch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1tjz6l7TGQ
Written by Bianca Wijnstekers
