Hope for Children

At the end of April, Maria Tassew, the passionate Project Coordinator of HFC’s anti-trafficking project, was invited to attend a workshop in Nairobi to discuss regional migration.

Here, she reflects on her experience…

The two leading research and policy organisations on migration issues in the Horn of Africa – the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS) – recently invited me as a guest to attend a mixed migration workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. 

The workshop was held from 27 – 29 April, and I was invited to represent HFC’s anti-trafficking program – the Women and Child Livelihood Program. 

The workshop, hosted by RMMS, provided civil society organisations and local NGOs from the Horn of Africa and Yemen region with training on mixed migration issues. The objective was for participants to improve their knowledge of mixed migration issues in the region and to be resourced with materials/inputs to support their program work in target countries.

Representing HFC and discussing the activities and highlights of the first year of our Women and Child Livelihood program was a fantastic opportunity for the organisation, given we have just finished the first year of our project. The engagement of participants from all over the hotspot areas also fostered regional engagement and dialogue on mixed migration issues in the hope of developing a regional network.

 This comprehensive training answered concepts such as the definition of ‘mixed migration’, the role of civil society towards addressing the issue, the current trends (regionally/globally) and coordination mechanisms to further maximise interventions implemented in this arena.

 There were panel presentation made by key players in the migration sector including IGAD, IOM, UNHCR, UNODC on local, regional and international frameworks.

 Finally, I had an amazing experience meeting senior representatives from governmental authority and devoted leaders of civil society organisations from Yemen, Libya and USA in the field of trafficking prevention and migration.