Senegal Migrants: The Dangerous Journey Via Boat To Spain
On September 24th, 2024, a “pirogue,” the canoe used by Senegalese men for fishing, was found off the coast of Senegal. But this boat did not contain fish or fishing supplies. It was filled with the deceased bodies of 30 young men.
Thirty sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers all desperate to reach the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory in the Atlantic Ocean, 800 dangerous miles from Senegal, in the hope of eventually reaching Europe to find work.
This is a familiar story in Senegal. Young men so desperate to find work that even the risk of dying does not deter them from undertaking the extremely dangerous voyage in a canoe equipped with an outboard motor and little or no safety equipment.
It’s a story that is repeated far too often in Senegal. Every year, a thousand or more Senegalese migrants die while trying to reach Europe in search of something that we take completely for granted: a job!
This is not a story of migration but a heartbreaking reminder of the lengths that desperate young men will go to in order to improve their lives and those of their families.
Friends of Senegal and Maison de la Gare are on a mission to offer the Senegalese people a better route. One that does not involve a dangerous journey at the hands of traffickers and smugglers who couldn’t care less about these people as long as they get paid.
With your help, we can offer hope and economic mobility to Senegal’s most vulnerable and desperate populations. Keep reading to learn more about the migrants from Senegal and learn how you can become a part of the solution.
The Journey to Europe Is Long and Dangerous
There are two ways Senegalese migrants travel from Senegal to Europe:
- By boat to the Canary Islands: In crowded, small fishing boats called pirogues, many Senegalese migrants attempt the very dangerous trip of over 800 miles across the open waters of the Atlantic for 12 to 20 days. Food and water are limited and rationed. Safety equipment is minimal or nonexistent.
- Through the Sahara Desert: Migrants trek across roughly 2,000 miles of the Saharan Desert to reach the Mediterranean coast, where they are smuggled by boat to Europe.
Many of the traffickers and smugglers “helping” Senegal’s migrants exploit the desperation of the situation. They raise the fees for travel in the middle of the trip, often leaving behind migrants who do not pay the extra toll. Some will promise work only to entrap the migrants in labor and forced servitude.
Understanding the Typical Profile of a Migrant from Senegal
A snapshot of the demographic for Senegalese migrants may be:
- More men are migrating than women.
- The average age of Senegalese migrants arriving in Spain is 28 for both men and women.
- On average, men leave behind 1.12 children in Senegal, while women leave behind 0.75.
- Regardless of gender, most migrants have nearly seven siblings living in Senegal.
- Over half of the survey respondents have fathers who still reside in Senegal.
- Approximately three in four men and four in five women have their mothers living in Senegal.
- More than half of men migrating from Senegal to Europe have a partner living in Senegal, whereas the same is only evident for one out of eight women.
Why Are Senegalese People Leaving?
The Senegalese people do not want to leave their homes to find work in Europe. Some feel as if they are practically forced to by rampant poverty and a disarrayed economic system.
Around 50% of the population is determined as multidimensionally poor, with another 18% classified as on the verge of becoming the same status. Overfishing by large industrial vessels from Asia and Europe has bled Senegal’s seas dry of fish, a commodity the communities rely on as a source of food and for local and nationwide trade.
The Senegalese economy is predominantly based on agricultural and informal activities, which generate about 92% of traditional and self-employed jobs and 64% of informal jobs in rural areas. Very few jobs are created in the private and formal sectors each year, with only a measly 4% representing these jobs. This has led to a significant decline in employment, especially in urban areas like Saint Louis.
Official unemployment rates in Senegal are very misleading. Because there are so few private-sector jobs, everyone must find some entrepreneurial work to survive and is therefore listed as “employed.” In reality, however, a very large portion of the population is so underemployed that they live on the equivalent of $500 per year or less.
Senegalese children grow up like children in the West, dreaming and wishing to become doctors, scientists, teachers, and professional athletes when they are older. No one plans to leave home, family, or culture or risk their lives to find employment in Europe.
The Senegalese people are leaving because they believe it is the only chance for their families and themselves to live a better life or, in many cases, to simply survive.
Tigui Ndiaya
Unlike many young men who meet a tragic fate while turning to migration for a better future, Tigui Ndiaye was lucky.
Tigui is a bright and immediately likable young man. He is quick with a smile, has a terrific sense of humor, and is burning with a sense of responsibility to provide for his wife, Aida, and their two young children.
Tigui worked his way through high school, college, and graduate school, with no small achievement in Senegal, obtaining a master’s Degree in communications. But after all of the work that he put into his education, he graduated only to find that there were no jobs available. He has struggled to put food on the table ever since.
In the Fall of 2023, Tigui felt so desperate that he attempted the voyage to Europe. Like so many others had experienced before him, his boat capsized, and he was sure that he would drown. But Tigui was one of the lucky few who were rescued each year. He then spent a month in a dingy prison cell in Morocco, where the little money that he had managed to save and all of his belongings were stolen from him.
But Tigui’s story does not end here. He made his way back to Saint-Louis and then learned of the FOS and MDG microfinance program. To make a long story short, he obtained a loan to purchase 500 chicks, which he will sell at maturity in his neighborhood and to local hotels and restaurants. He hopes to earn enough money to save a bit toward his ultimate dream of buying a car and starting a business of chauffeuring business people and guiding tourists around Senegal.
Tigui’s wife, Aida, began working for her family at 3 years of age and could not attend school. Although illiterate, Aida is extremely bright (she can manipulate very large numbers in her head faster than most of us can do using a calculator!).
Aida, Tigui, and their younger child – as she removes the child from the sling
that she uses to carry him on her back – with Tigui in the background.
Showing great determination, Aida completed the FOS/MDG business training program (the only person ever to do so without being able to use a calculator) and obtained a microfinance loan from FOS/MDG in order to purchase products to sell in her small neighborhood shop – a space provided for her by an extended family member.
Tigui and Aida’s struggles are not over. Their family is together, and they are working hard to improve their lives and those of their beloved children.
Friends of Senegal and Maison de la Gare: An Opportunity To Create a Brighter Future for Families in Senegal
Friends of Senegal and Maison de la Gare are nonprofit, unaffiliated organizations that have mobilized volunteers to provide potential Senegalese migrants with zero-interest microfinance loans and business education classes.
After attending an approximately two-month business course provided by MDG, individuals in Senegal can apply for a microfinance loan to start their own businesses within their community. After the loan is approved and the business is set up, each borrower will continue receiving assistance and encouragement from MDG personnel until their loan is repaid, which normally takes 12 months.
One hundred percent of reimbursed funds go back into the pool of funds available for future borrowers, which is the program’s powerful advantage: the funds are recycled to help future individuals and families improve their lives and those of their children.
What You Can Do To Help Friends of Senegal and Maison de la Gare Achieve Their Mission
Senegal’s financial issues are structural and multifaceted. While our microfinance loans cannot prevent every Senegalese migrant from making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean, they can stoke the embers of communal economies and create jobs and trade within the community, leading to better economic stability in cities like Saint Louis and surrounding villages.
Without these zero-interest microfinance loans, young men and women may be more prone to make the treacherous journey for a better life. Our impact can make even more of a difference with your help.
Even a small donation can make a difference.
We also welcome volunteers and interns to join us. Individuals with some business experience and intermediate proficiency in French are invited to apply for work in the microfinance program and other programs offered by Maison de la Gare. Fees paid by volunteers and interns are used exclusively to support the work of Maison de la Gare.
As a microfinance volunteer, you will assist potential borrowers in strengthening essential skills, such as basic math, accounting principles, and marketing strategies. You will guide them in developing strong project proposals and provide ongoing support and evaluation after loans are disbursed.
As a volunteer with our microfinance program, you may:
- Interview potential borrowers
- Teach basic business skills
- Conduct field meetings with borrowers
- Collect loan repayments in the field
- Host program graduation ceremonies
- Distributing loans
- And lots more
Microfinance Program Requirements
- Some business education or experience
- Strong listening skills and the ability to work respectfully with potential borrowers while learning the importance of cultural differences
- An intermediate level of proficiency in French
Other programs offered to volunteers have different requirements, so don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can explore all of the possibilities with you.
Learn more about our microfinance program or other programs at MGD, or donate today.
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