Morhaf Hamid, who relied on his campaign to collect donations on the racism he was subjected to, collected about 210 thousand euros ($ 233 thousand), by selling paper flower pins, as part of an annual campaign carried out by the “Mayflower” charity for children, so that he was able to Sell a pin to the Prime Minister.
An 11-year-old asylum-seeker has broken a record for charity fundraising in Sweden.
Morhaf Hamid, who relied on his campaign to collect donations on the racism he was subjected to, collected about 210 thousand euros ($ 233 thousand), by selling paper flower pins, as part of an annual campaign carried out by the “Mayflower” charity for children, so that he was able to Sell a pin to the Prime Minister.
In normal circumstances, the child collects 1,300 crowns (approximately 114 euros) through the sale process, but the child, Murhaf, alone has obtained 2.4 million crowns (210 thousand euros) so far.
Young fundraisers earn a 10 percent commission on the pins they sell and are allowed to keep any tips they receive.
“Racism is the cause”
“We’ve never seen anything like this before, and we’ve been around for more than 100 years,” Asi Henel, head of the charity, told AFP.
Hamid, who was born in Sweden to Ethiopian parents, recounted that when he started collecting donations in the street, he got only a few dollars within 5 hours. And when the child told a family friend on Facebook that he thought it might have been because of racism, the post got a lot of interaction, prompting some to show solidarity with him.
Since then, political leaders, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, have expressed their support for Hamid on social media and bought pins from him.
Hamid’s story went beyond fundraising, to raise questions about granting him citizenship in Sweden, given that he was born here. According to the country’s laws, if the parents do not have a normal residence status in Sweden, their children do not automatically acquire citizenship by birth.
Local newspaper Aftonbladet reported that after collecting donations, Hamed asked his mother: “Is it possible to buy permanent residence?”
