Alieu's Story
Alieu graduated at the top of his class in Farafenni. He was ambitious, hardworking, and had clear goals. What he did not have was a job, or a realistic path to one.
At 24, with no opportunities visible at home, he joined thousands of young Gambians on the Backway, through Senegal, Mali, Niger, across the Sahara, and into Libya's detention camps. He survived the Mediterranean crossing on an overcrowded boat. He made it to Europe.
What he found there was not what he had imagined. Cultural barriers, unemployment, and the constant fear of deportation wore him down. He returned home voluntarily through a reintegration programme.
Today, Alieu runs a thriving poultry business in his home community. He employs other young people and speaks openly about why the Backway was not the answer he needed. The answer he needed was opportunity at home.
Alieu's story does not end in tragedy. But it didn't need to begin in the Sahara Desert either.
