KLER HEH felt trapped in the cramped and rudimentary conditions of the Umpiem Mai refugee camp on the hilly border between Myanmar and Thailand wondering if he would ever escape this wretched place.
However, as he kicked a ball around barefoot with his friends he clung to the dream that football would somehow be his salvation.
Today he hopes to run out against Dundee in the colours of Dumbarton after a remarkable journey which allowed him to flee the squalor of his early days, re-settle with his family in Sheffield and begin a life-changing process.
Heh and his family were part of thousands of people from the Karen region of Myanmar who were forced to flee their homeland to a series of refugee camps due an on-going conflict with a succession of military governments.
The 19-year-old, who is on loan from Sheffield United’s youth academy, said: “I knew nothing else but the life in the village and my only escape was to kick a ball around with my friends.
“We had no boots or shoes so we used to play in bare feet. I would let the football help me get away from the difficulties we all faced.
“Our family – I have a brother and two sisters – all lived together in the one room in a bamboo hut so the conditions were very difficult.
“The refugee camp was like a prison. It seemed like there were no opportunities, no way out.
“My father Kawmoo used to work in a nearby town as a driver to try to earn money for the family while my mother Moemaekaing looked after me and my sisters and brother, who are all younger than me.”
The Umpiem Mai refugee camp was a harsh environment with little tree cover, torrential rain and a cold climate with 13,000 cramped together.
Thanks to the help of the United Nations many of the camp inhabitants have been able to resettle abroad with the Heh family re-settling in Sheffield. It was like leaving a nightmare and walking into a dreamland.
Struggling to learn English, Kler used football as his means of communication and played in schools and boys club football.
Friends told him of the Football Unites Racism Divides group, which helped Kyle Walker on his way to becoming an England international, and that led to trials with Sheffield United.
He said: “It was the most stressful thing I have done because I wanted so badly to become a football player.
“I was rejected after two attempts but I made it at the third and I have tried to make the most of my opportunity.
“I was playing with the under-21 team in the first half of the season and when the manager told me I could come up to Scotland to play I jumped at the chance.
“I can learn and improve by playing against men in a proper competitive environment.
“The gaffer and the other players at Dumbarton have made me feel very welcome and I would love to become a first team regular.
“I have been working really hard all week in training because I’m desperate to play against Dundee.
“It will be a massive match for the club with a big crowd so I would love to be part of it.”
Heh’s contract with the Blades expires in the summer but he hopes he can either clinch a new one or find a new home to hone his football skills.
He said: “From where I have come from and what I experienced, I have a very strong will to succeed.
“I feel like I owe it to my community to become a successful football player and be a role model for them.”
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