Mohammed Salif Bah is a young man with a big dream. The migrant from Guinea, who was brought to Malta in 2007 while attempting to cross the Mediterranean, wishes to travel to stable countries in Africa to teach the younger generations their rights and help them change their country for the better.

“In my country, there is no education. Without education, you cannot build your future and you cannot change the country for the better,” the 27-year-old says.

“In Europe, I was given an education, I learnt about my rights, I learnt that everyone is equal. In many African countries, for example, women are treated as second-class citizens. We only know what we learnt from our grandparents. If we are well educated, we would know our rights and we would fight for our rights.”

Mr Bah was working in a restaurant on New Year’s Eve this year when the clock struck midnight.

He looked on sadly as hugs and best wishes were exchanged between people at the restaurant he worked in – but no one so much as glanced at him.

“I decided that I wanted to make this year different,” he says with determination.

Mr Bah went about setting up a Facebook page under the name “R. Know More Network” and then proceeded to roam the open centres, speaking to migrants about the importance of educating themselves and integrating into the local culture. The ‘R’ stand for his mother’s name, Ramatah.

“We Africans have a tendency of keeping everything inside us and not speaking about our experience. We need to tell the Maltese who we are and why we left our home country for them to understand.

“I remind them that even when migrants from Liberia came into Guinea, they used to get called bad names. The negative perception of migrants exists everywhere – and Malta is a small country so you can understand the feelings of some Maltese.

In my country, there is no education. Without education, you cannot build your future and you cannot change the country for the better

“But the first step is learning the Maltese language and respecting the law.”

On his Facebook page, Mr Bah shared a photo of himself holding up a sheet of paper with the words: “I am an immigrant in Malta and I would like to advise all my brothers and sisters who are in Africa not to risk their lives by trying to cross the desert and the Mediterranean Sea to come to Europe in hope of a better life.

“For all those of you who live here in Malta, I would like to advise you to do your best to integrate yourself into the Maltese culture and respect their customs and morals.”

Mr Bah knows too well what crossing the Mediterranean entails.

It was not political strife but “family problems” that spurred him to leave his country. His childhood sweetheart passed away suddenly after a violent fit of vomiting and his uncle blamed him for her death. Mr Bah was beaten mercilessly, as was his mother, who had all her teeth broken.

“I was sure that he would kill me. That’s when my problems started. My uncle beat my mother up and broke all her teeth. I still have back pains from the beatings I was first given. I couldn’t sleep – I kept imagining he was running after me and I kept hearing his voice.”

Mr Bah escaped to Senegal then went on to Mali, Niger and Libya.

“I had my passport and documents with me – but it was too expensive to buy a ticket.

“I didn’t have much money in those days,” he says, by way of explaining why he did not go through the legal channels.

In the meantime, his mother was jailed for supporting her son. Mr Bah thought he would find help in Libya, as the country often financially supported Guinea.

But upon arrival in Tripoli, his passport was ripped and he was sent to jail for a month. After being released, he boarded a boat to Italy but was intercepted and brought to Malta.

“When we arrived in Malta, there was an ambulance and they checked us. It was so nice to be looked after.”

However, he escaped to Italy in a container and then boarded a flight for the Netherlands, using the money he had earned while working in Malta.

“My life changed in the Netherlands. A doctor diagnosed me with trauma – it was the first time I had heard the word. I was given medicine and I was sent to school – I learned how to read and write.

“But then I was brought back to Malta. I know I violated the law by escaping,” he says, hanging his head. He decided to turn his life around, working hard in the hope of returning to his home country.

“I want to register my NGO and try to get proper funding. I wish to return to Africa and travel to stable places such as Senegal and Ethiopia which are a democracy.

“I want to speak to the young generations in communities and in schools. Africa is losing a lot of people. The only hope lies with the younger generation – and the key is education.”