Accra – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the Embassy of Mexico recently partnered to hold a photo exhibit in Ghana, entitled A Day in the Life of Migrants and Refugees, a subject of high interest in two countries whose citizens are among the planet’s most active migrants.

The exhibit and its associated events were co-sponsored by IOM Ghana, UNHCR Ghana, the Embassy of Mexico in Ghana, the Nubuke Foundation, AMEXCID, and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

Mexico, the country with more migrants than any other residing in the US, and Ghana – with growing diaspora communities across North America, Europe and Africa – share a tradition and many migration stories.

Just in 2017, Ghanaians have made up 3,719 of the registered arrivals in Italy, making it the seventh source of arrivals from West Africa and eleventh largest in the world. In 2016, 5,636 registered Ghanaians reached Italy.

On 31 October, the partnering agencies hosted a cocktail reception for ambassadors, government officials, and civil society organizations in order to educate stakeholders on the impact of irregular migration and promote IOM’s support to vulnerable migrants.

In 2016 alone, approximately 30,000 migrants including men, women and children refugees, survivors of trafficking (internal and cross-border), smuggled migrants, diaspora and returnees have benefited from IOM staff’s dedication and hard work.

Photos exhibited by IOM included images of migrants along the migratory routes from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe, highlighting the challenges of traveling through the desert and the Mediterranean.

Photos exhibited by UNHCR were captured from visits to Egyekrom and Ampain Refugee Camps and were donated by Pedro Jardim De Mattos, a renowned Brazilian photographer and lawyer, and Marcos Moreno Baez, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Mexican Embassy in Ghana. Photos displayed by UNHCR were made available for purchase with proceeds going to serving refugees in Ghana.

The exhibit ran from October 28th – November 3rd and included 49 pictures providing a snapshot into the lives of irregular migrants and refugees.

IOM Ghana’s involvement was generously sponsored by the Aware Migrants Information Campaign – Engaging West African Communities (EWAC) which includes Ghana, Senegal and Niger, and is funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

The project aims to address irregular migration along the main routes from Western Africa across the desert and the Mediterranean, by empowering migrants to make informed decisions and informing public opinion in target countries on the extreme risks of irregular migration.

A Day in the Life of Migrants and Refugees provided a considerable opportunity to educate both the public and key stakeholders on the impacts of irregular migration and the human stories behind mass migration statistics.

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For further information, please contact Olivia S. Matthews at IOM Ghana; Tel: +233 302 742 930 ext. 2414. Email: omatthews@iom.int.