Niger - IOM Niger, in partnership with the Italian NGO Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI), this week (13-14/8) launched an information campaign to sensitize migrants and the local community in Agadez to the risks of irregular migration. Outreach included two days of cultural activities in the town’s central Place de la Concorde.

On the first day a football match for men and a basketball match for women were organized between teams from IOM’s Agadez transit centre and the local community. Before the games there was a public discussion of irregular migration, the risks and how to mitigate them.

A participatory theater performance in French and Haoussa was also organized by performers from a local association – Bafunei Djiho. It portrayed daily life in Niger and focused on the reasons West Africans leave their countries to seek better economic opportunities abroad.

The event ended with the screening of four short documentaries: “Odysseus 2.0” (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya) produced by the previous information campaign. The events were repeated on the second day, attracting a total of some 650 participants.

The information campaign is part of IOM’s UK DFID-funded project: “Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism”. This supports the Niger government's efforts to promote safe and informed migration through the dissemination of accurate information on migration to potential migrants, migrants in transit and host communities.

For further information please contact Linda Cottone at IOM Niger, Tel: +227 89 31 16 45, Email: rcottone@iom.int