EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

For returning migrants, a sense of alienation can complicate the process of starting afresh. Without a support structure, returnees can find the odds staked against them, be it in their communities of origin.

Only 30% of returnees were satisfied with their economic situation soon after return, with low pay and long hours being common complaints, concluded a labour market assessment launched by IOM in 2019 in Somalia.

Besides a general lack of opportunities; limited experience, skills, and information about the job market were commonly cited by unemployed returnees as challenges to finding work. Access to housing and education were also described as particularly problematic.

In such a context, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa is pinning its hopes on more structured peer support eliminating some of the anxieties faced by returnees. On average returnees would have spent two years away.

A returnee committee was established in Mogadishu in November with the aim of enhancing peer-to-peer support and feedback mechanisms within the wider network of returnees in the city. Composed of five returnees (three male and two female) and eight district focal points (five male, three female), the committee was set up with support from the EU-IOM Joint Initiative.

The committee is meant to support former migrants soon after their return. This is done by promoting information sharing, networking and facilitating linkages with relevant organisations and community-based reintegration projects. It is also envisaged that the committee will play an intermediary role, collecting feedback and complaints from the wider network of returnees, in turn sharing such experiences with IOM for action while keeping the returnees informed.

Even then, the returnee committee in Mogadishu is not the first such structure in Somalia. The first returnee committee was established in Hargeisa in 2019. This was when a group of migrants returned by IOM and supported with reintegration under the  EU-IOM Joint Initiative sought a channel to give voice to returning migrants, assisting those still stranded and facilitating contact with those who were still to receive assistance.

“The returnee committee in Hargeisa has proved to be very helpful in reaching out to returnees who had lost contact with IOM since their return, and assisted in identifying returnees in need of further support or in disseminating information about the community-based reintegration projects implemented through local partners,” said Carolina Prandelli, a monitoring and evaluation officer in Somalia.

Prandelli added: “The intention is now to support the identification of regional focal points in Somaliland to expand the geographical reach of the committee. Based on this good practice, IOM is willing to provide support to other returnee-driven initiatives to enhance peer support and social cohesion.”

Returnees are themselves very clear about the expectations they have of their communities.

‘’I feel that I belong to the community when I am accepted by the community, when I am encouraged by the community and when I am supported to face some challenges,’’ commented one returnee, speaking during a key informant interview to assess the level of interest in participating in the Mogadishu returnee committee. Her comments captured the essence of how the committee would benefit migrants.

“You feel that you are part of the community when you feel that your challenges are similar to those of other community members or when you are able to contribute to the community,” another returnee chimed in, making reference to the possibility of starting a business that would benefit the community with job opportunities.

According to Carlotta Panchetti, an IOM programme officer in Somalia, “the setup of returnee driven structures where information, feedback and complaints can be channelled, represents an important first step in raising awareness and enhancing ownership of assistance provided through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative.” 

Since its inception in April 2017, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative has extended voluntary return support to 771 Somali migrants, with 650 benefitting from assistance in reintegrating into their communities of origin. Depending on a returnee’s needs, skills and aspirations, reintegration support can include medical assistance, psychosocial support, education for minors, vocational training, ‘Start and Improve Your Business’ training, the set-up of income-generating activity as well as support with housing or other basic needs

About the EU-IOM Joint Initiative

Launched in December 2016 and funded by the European Union (EU) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the programme brings together 26 African countries of the Sahel and Lake Chad region, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa, the EU and IOM around the goal of ensuring that migration is safer, more informed and better governed for both migrants and their communities.

For more information please contact the IOM Regional Office in Nairobi: Julia Hartlieb, email: jhartlieb@iom.int; or Wilson Johwa, email: wjohwa@iom.int.