Mekharena, an Eritrean, came to Latvia from Italy a year ago. Reaching Europe was an odyssey - he came via Uganda, Ethiopia, Israel and Egypt.
He only learnt he was going to Latvia a day before his flight. He was not allowed to choose the destination himself, and was not happy about it.
"There are lots of Eritreans everywhere in Europe. They talk to one another. We all know that in Germany they give you an apartment and €400 (£350; $450) pocket money. But in Latvia they don't give us anything - just €139 a month," he told BBC Russian.