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My name is Humberto Cândido, I am 28 years old. I was born in an ex Portuguese Colony in Africa, in a Country called Angola. I grew up between these two countries, Angola and Portugal.

My great grandfather was a Portuguese man and an ex colonist for Portugal in Angola. But on the other hand, I am also a Portuguese Citizen because I have earned the right to have the Portuguese Citizenship from my great grandfather’s part.

Seven years ago I was forced to leave my mother country in search of a better life, a better future so I went to Portugal on 10^th November 2001. I got a job but two months later I have fallen into the world of drugs. I started taking crack cocaine and my life became hell on earth. I lost my job, self-respect and consideration from everybody including my mother and my brothers. I had transformed into a very, very unpleasant person (persona non grata) to my family, friends and society.

Two years later my situation had reached the extreme – I became a cancer to everybody and even my mother asked me to leave her house as she couldn’t take anymore. Now I had lost my shelter and everything else. I new I had to do something so I decided to leave Portugal in search of some kind of cure for my many problems. In August 2004 I left Portugal and went to Italy where I lived for two years and this is where I first learned about the movement ‘Emmaus International’.

I had fooled myself thinking that by leaving Portugal I would solve my drug problem and my other problems. I was wrong again and it didn’t take long to realize that the problems that I had in Portugal had started to arise in Italy also. I was so deep and lost in my addiction that I didn’t know what to do. Then one day I met a man on the streets of Rome who told me about the Emmaus Communities. He also told me that there was an Emmaus Community in Rome City. He went on to tell me lots of information about Emmaus, things I couldn’t believe – it was too good to be true! I told this man that I had been in many other kinds of communities before and none of them is like the one you are talking about. There is no such place like this Emmaus of yours in the planet – Once more I was wrong so I continued living my miserable life until one day I fell very sick and was in the valley of shadow and death (actually I was more dead than alive) and god once more decided to give me another chance and healed me. After I left the hospital, I thought to myself:- I have got nothing to lose, so why not give Emmaus a go as I new that if I carried on living on the streets of Rome I would end up dead in some corner street. I pulled myself together and I headed to a street in Rome called (Casale De Merode) the place where Emmaus Rome was situated. I only have one thing to say: I knocked on the door and ever since the brother’s from Emmaus Rome opened that door to me, my life changed!

 

 At Emmaus Rome I had found hope, trust and love. They gave me a place to live, food on the table and a job to make myself useful. I couldn’t believe it! But more important than anything they gave me the chance to live again, as a person, as a human being. Three months after I had decided to become a companion of this big family called Emmaus, I decided that I wanted to leave Italy and the time had come for me to follow my dream. Ever since I was a little boy I had dreamed of living in the U.K, so I did it. I kissed Italy goodbye and went to England on 21^st January 2006 and that same day I went to Emmaus Cambridge. Everything I had found at Emmaus Rome I found here at Cambridge but hundreds more effective.

First of all I thank God for giving a vision, the Emmaus Vision, to this man Abbè Pierre. Secondly, I would like to thank Abbè Pierre for his work, conviction, belief and love for all human beings. Lastly, I thank all the men and women who have fought and the ones who still fight to make it all possible. For giving hope and a home to the homeless, feeding the starving and making people useful so that life can be recycled.

I also thank all the members of the Emmaus Cambridge Leadership team and the companions for never giving up on me, believing in me and for helping me fight every single day for the best, for a new life.

But there is still lots to do and the process is long but I don’t care because it doesn’t matter how long it takes, what really matters is that I know for sure that it is worth it and the important thing is to know for sure that I am no longer alone. Now I have got Emmaus and a huge family to help and support me anytime I need it.

Thank you all for making everyday of my life count, thanks for everything.

A little message for all of you who still have the addiction as a problem.  Don’t give up, believe in yourself, believe that you can win with the right help and don’t forget that it is your problem and you are the only one that can put an end to this.

Remember life is far too precious and beautiful to be wasted.

Emmaus Cambridge, Green End, Landbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9FD

Charity number 1064473

Tel: 01223 863657