A Focus on Migrants Voices at the IOM Council
Migrants shared stories of their personal journeys at a special session on the final day of the 2015 Council of the International Organization for Migration. Delegates heard from Gai Nyok, a former Sudanese "lost boy" who is now a U.S. diplomat, who spoke of the phases of his journey: crossing many borders, the difficulties of life in a refugee camp, and ultimately the welcome and opportunity he found in the United States.
“Migrants leave with their only luggage being their hopes for the road,” said Khadja Nin, a Belgian-Burundian singer. Participants also heard the story of Djibril Bodian, a Senegalese migrant to France, who recently won an award for baking the best baguettes in all of Paris."
Attending the event was U.S. Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, who spoke of getting to know Gai Nyok when was an intern at the U.S. Mission last summer, and the impact his story had on her.
The event was part of IOM’s #IamaMigrant campaign iamamigrant.org which humanises stories of migration.
U.S. Mission Photo/Eric Bridiers