MACON, Ga. — The current refugee crisis in Eastern Europe is reminding many of other similar times around the world. One former Mercer student was a Liberian refugee.
After graduating, he opened an orphanage in Guinea to give hope to those in his community. Samuel Johnson spent 8 years of his life as a refugee in Guinea.
He knew that after coming to the states, he wanted to someday return back to Guinea and help those who had been left behind.
"If I turned my back, then what would happen to all these kids?" Johnson said.
At the age of 8, Samuel Johnson's father was killed in the Liberian Civil War.
His mother fled on foot to Southeast Guinea with five of her children, and one daughter never made it out of the country. The family lived off of only one meal a day.
"Because every morning when you see someone that have hanged themselves because they have done some things, or they have seen their mom got killed, or got shot, or they are forced to kill their own parents," Johnson said.
When Johnson turned 16, he also lost his mother. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees transported them here to Georgia where the Johnsons received intense tutoring to catch them up to speed.
"I remember my mom used to say that, 'People will love you, people will take care of you.' When I saw that, that's the only thing I'm waiting for," said Johnson.
Johnson spent four years at Mercer University, and in 2015, two years after he graduated, he decided to create an orphanage called Home of Hope.
"Understand, the children that are there, there's no hope, so I went back to give hope back to the orphanage, and then back to the camp, and then back to the village. Also, just the community around," Johnson said.
Right now in the orphanage, there are 12 girls and five boys. Johnson says they have more girls because the chance of girls going to school is very low, and he wants to be part of a movement to change that.
"I'm focusing to create role models through this program so that -- not just for the kids in the village, the girls, but for the entire Guinea, Africa community -- to see girls leaders."
When in the refugee camp, his mom provided him with strength to keep going and keep his life.
"I almost didn't. So you don't have to do it. It may be five or six years -- just hold onto that hope. One day, you will be out."
Johnson says this is a movement and he encourages everyone to join him because it took a village to make him who he is today, and it will take a village to change things and change the kids' future.