Ismael was in his early twenties struggling to sustain a living in Ivory Coast when he made the decision to attempt the dangerous migration route across Northern Africa in search of work. Ismael grew up in poverty in Ivory Coast where he received no formal...
Marie is a Cameroonian woman who dreamed of a fresh start in Switzerland. Marie attended secondary school in Cameroon and started working in trade shortly after graduating. She had always dreamed of exciting job prospects abroad having heard from friends of the better standard of...
Marzhan is a Rohingya mother who has lived in Kutupalong expansion site in Bangladesh since 2017. Marzhan watches her youngest son, Jorin, playing in the dust with a battered toy car, under their shelter constructed of navy plastic sheets and bamboo poles. 37-year-old Marzhan is one...
Neil is a Gambian teenager who dreams of becoming a professional football player. He began his solo journey to Europe in 2016. In Gambia, life was hard for Neil and his family, who constantly struggled to make ends meet. As the eldest child, it was Neil’s duty to provide for his younger...
Matar gazes pensively at the seemingly endless stretch of blue horizon. This is the first time he has seen the sea; when he reaches Trapani, it will be the first time he sees Europe. At disembarkation he will be fingerprinted, receive a basic medical screening,...
"Your wife is not here!" John is a Nigerian man who travelled to Libya with his wife. He began his journey in late 2016. He spent six months in Sabratha, a coastal city in Libya and one of the major embarkation points for boats carrying migrants to...
“I would not advise anybody to use that route” Nfansu is a primary school teacher-in-training from The Gambia and the breadwinner for his extended family. Due to an injury, he had to stop work and postpone his education, which meant he could no longer earn to...
Why are you in Bangladesh and when did you arrive? My name is Mohamed and I am from Maungdaw, Myanmar. I currently live in Bangladesh and have done so since 2012. In 2012 I had to leave my homeland because of the violence and restrictions forced...
❝ My God you are a worthy Saviour, thou are worthy, thou alone and worthy to be praised. My God, my God.❞ Judith sings and cries. All around people are drowning in the water of the Mediterranean Sea. ❝ I will not die! If I...
April 2015 was the deadliest month on record for migrants crossing from Libya to Europe with an estimated 1,250 people perishing in just two accidents off Libya. NANCY PORSIA spoke to one of the survivors from that dark month in the Mediterranean’s history who gave...