Cleo

Cleo's refugee story begins with her parents' flight from the Angolan civil war - before she was born - to the Congo and then to Zambia. Cleo has Zambian citizenship and is entitled to an Angolan passport, but she has never set foot in Angola and does not speak Portuguese. Her own troubles began when she was working in the Angolan embassy in Zambia, when relations between the two countries deteriorated and her own mixed heritage drew the attention of the Zambian authorities. Pregnant with her third child, Cleo travelled legally to the UK, in 2000, to escape the harassment of the Zambian police. She intended only to take a short break from the pressure back home, but when her sister warned her it was not safe to return, she applied for asylum.

Her asylum claim rejected, Cleo has lived in Scotland for four years without status.

"I owe a lot to Scotland, if only I had the chance to get the refugee status, I would pay everything back. I would prove to this country that I am not here for the benefits. I want to get a job.."

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