In March, IOM Niger completed the reintegration assistance for the 1,000th Nigerien migrant in their community of origin since May 2019 under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration of Migrants- Regional Initiative for the Sahel and Lake Chad. The programme supports Nigerien returnees mainly with the establishment of small businesses, which will help them to reintegrate into their communities of origin and support their families.

The beneficiaries participate in different training courses and after that are given equipment to start their business. Most of these trainings, provided by local specialized partners, are oriented towards business management and cattle breeding, with a smaller number of returnees choosing horticulture.

The ones who choose cattle breeding training, receive livestock; among those trained in business management choose to open a small grocery store and receive some basic items. Some request rent support while sthers choose to sell fabric, spare parts, cosmetics, or set up a motorcycle taxi business.

Salifou Boubé,ou from Tahoua, who has just returned from Algeria, says, "Without training, opening a business can be difficult for those of us who did not go to school. This training helps me to better manage the store that I plan to open with the support of IOM."

IOM’s reintegration programme supports migrants in the implementation of individual projects and collective projects. In the department of Filingué in the Tillabéri region, beneficiaries set up four community groups benefiting 100 returnees and community members. This strategy not only ensures cohesion within the returnee communities, allowing migrants to integrate in their communities in a sustainable way, but it also provides opportunities for community members to interact with returned migrants and understand better the realities of migration in case they are contemplating the journey themselves.

The majority of the reintegration assistance (about 80%) was completed between August 2020 and today, a mere 8 months, despite the deteriorating security situation and Covid-19 related restrictions in Niger. "Because of the particular challenges we faced in 2020, we have adapted our assistance process. Instead of IOM staff or one of its partners coming to beneficiaries, beneficiaries now come to IOM’s offices in the regional capitals, mainly in Zinder and Tahoua, to collect their reintegration kits, and return to their villages with transportation paid for by IOM. This has allowed us to speed up the process without losing contact with the beneficiary," notes Virginia Bada, coordinator of IOM’s reintegration unit in Niger.

IOM reintegration assistants or partners (Taagazt, Ondes Apil, Jardins du Sahel) accompany the migrants with the reintegration process after the return to their communities.
"The reintegration staff assist the beneficiaries over a long period of time: between the first contact and the finalization of the assistance process takes at least 6 months, with different needs and requests for each beneficiary. In the case of vulnerable migrants, such as those with mental health problems or other psychosocial needs, IOM’s protection staff provide support."

Under this project IOM Niger is assisting another 1,000 migrants approximately, whose reintegration will be finalized in the next months.