The IOM office in Rabat has provided return and reintegration
assistance to a first group of 15 undocumented migrants who were
stranded in Morocco.

The migrants from Cameroon, Congo and Senegal solicited IOM's
assistance after having spent, in some cases, years marooned in
Morocco without adequate resources.

Upon arrival, the migrants will benefit from IOM's assistance to
set up income-generating projects with grants up to USD 600 made
available thanks to a new pilot project funded by Switzerland and
carried out in cooperation with the Moroccan government and
countries of origin.

This pilot project aims to assist an initial group of 150
undocumented migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Justin, who returned to Cameroon under this new project, told
IOM he'd been in Morocco since 2004 where he barely survived with
odd jobs and begging. "My life makes no sense. My only wish is to
return home to work in my family's small shoe business." He adds
the reintegration grant will help his family invest in much-needed
equipment.

More than 660 undocumented migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa have
benefited from IOM's voluntary return programme, which is funded by
the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and the
Netherlands.     

"More than a hundred undocumented migrants currently living in
extreme poverty have already asked us to help them return home,"
says Stéphane Rostiaux, IOM's Chief of Mission in Morocco.
"This new funding will allow us to provide much needed
reintegration assistance to failed migrants to ensure their
sustainable return."

For more information, please contact:

Stéphane Rostiaux

IOM Rabat

Tel: +213 37 65 28 81

E-mail: "mailto:srostiaux@iom.int">srostiaux@iom.int 

Laura Lungarotti

E-mail: "mailto:llungarotti@iom.int">llungarotti@iom.int