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Migrants as Messengers - IOM West Africa

Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Nigeria, and other West African countries, Sub-Saharan Africa

Migrants as Messengers is an IOM peer-to-peer awareness campaign where returned migrants share their experiences with potential migrants in West African communities. The program trains returnees as community ambassadors who conduct outreach in schools, markets, community gatherings, and through social media. By leveraging the credibility of those who have actually made the journey, the campaign provides authentic perspectives on migration risks and opportunities. The approach complements mass media campaigns like Aware Migrants by adding personal, trusted voices. Returnees share balanced information about both dangers and legal migration pathways, empowering informed decision-making rather than discouraging all migration.

Behavior Goal

Enable informed migration decisions through peer-to-peer information sharing from returned migrants who experienced the journey firsthand

Implementers & Partners

  • International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • Returned Migrant Networks

Donors & Sponsors

  • EU-IOM Joint Initiative
  • Various bilateral donors

Key Takeaways

  • 1Peer-to-peer: returned migrants are most credible messengers
  • 2Returnees trained as community ambassadors
  • 3Balanced messaging on risks AND legal pathways
  • 4Outreach in schools, markets, community gatherings
  • 5Complements mass media with personal trusted voices
  • 6Empowers informed decisions rather than discouraging all migration

Sources

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