Morlai has been through a lot in his life, but has a tremendously bright future ahead. Morlai's parents died from Ebola in West Africa in 2014. He was placed in an orphanage shortly thereafter where he lived for three years, until being adopted in 2017. During this time, Morlai’s birth certificate could not be located, so a random date in 2001 was chosen to keep the adoption process moving.
In 2020, Morlai was kicked out of his adopted home. With support from a case manager, Morlai found a new home in Vancouver, Washington while completing high school. Having none of his important identification documents, Morlai called the only family member he knew for help - an uncle in Sierra Leone. Morlai requested any documents he could send him, and soon discovered his birth certificate was forged; Morlai was actually three years younger than what his previous birth certificate indicated. This age difference could determine if he could stay enrolled in and graduate from high school, so having it corrected was critical. To resolve this issue, Morlai was referred to LCYC by the Vancouver School District for legal support.
After consulting with the immigration attorneys at Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Project (CCVLP), Morlai and his LCYC attorney crafted a plan to move forward. The first step was to ask his uncle to send his birth certificate but shipping it halfway around the world was not easy and hugely expensive. To help with the mailing costs, Morlai saved money through the job he held down, working 30 hours a week, while in school.
Next, Morlai’s attorney called and researched the policies of the US and Sierra Leonean Embassies to see the best way to authenticate his real birth certificate. Since Morlai was never adopted in the USA (only in Sierra Leone) there was no adoption record/court order to change, so a new path needed to be forged.
After filing with Family Court, then Civil Court, and again in Family Court, a hearing was scheduled for February 2022. Morlai’s attorney filed a Petition to Authenticate a Foreign Birth Record with a declaration from Morlai, telling his story, and every certified document Morlai and his attorney could possibly find including the forged birth certificate, the original birth certificate, his certificate of citizenship, school records and work pay stubs.
After a difficult hearing, the court accepted and were impressed with the amount of evidence submitted and signed the order. Morlai was ecstatic. When his attorney called him, he could hear Morlai’s smile over the phone. Morlai’s attorney sent the court order to his Athletic Director, and he made it in time to sign up for soccer. In the very first game of the season, Morlai scored the first goal unassisted - a precious gift, and a symbol for what Morlai had been through. Read more about Morlai and his success on the soccer team here: https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/may/06/fort-vancouver-celebrates-clinching-rare-home-soccer-playoff-match/
Morlai is keeping his attorney to his promise to come and see him play. He received a college scholarship to play at Clark College in Vancouver, WA and was successful through his first semester.