Mentor 17-year-old from Eritrea

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We are looking for a male volunteer to mentor a 17-year-old male refugee youth from Eritrea who arrived into Bethany's refugee foster care program in January of 2020. He has very limited English abilities, and Arabic is his first language. His case manager shared, "The youth is adjusting well [to his group home placement]. He was initially very uncomfortable and said it reminded him of a place he had been where he was treated badly. His lack of ability to communicate is frustrating for him. He has developed a safety plan that allows him to walk away from a stressful event/interaction and be alone to calm himself."

Background: This youth's father was imprisoned when he was young, and his sister fled Eritrea as well, so he only grew up with his mother. He stated that the Eritrean military captured him in 2016 and took him to a military camp, but he was able to escape and made his way to Sudan. He made contact with his sister who was living in a refugee camp there, and she paid smugglers to take him to Egypt. It was there, in 2017, that he learned from his sister that his parents had died. The youth then registered with the UNHCR and was recommended for resettlement as an unaccompanied minor.