The Precious Gift of Friendship

Building Bonds and Communities After Difficult Journeys.

Gift and Precious sit side by side painting, laughing, teasing one another, a close friendship has blossomed between these two women from Nigeria, who met after enduring very difficult migration journeys. 

'We have fun together. We talk. It's really great', Gift says proudly about her friendship with Precious.  

This moment of friendship is a snapshot of life at IOM's temporary centre for voluntary return* in Algiers. The centre provides migrant women and children, like Gift and Precious, support to rebuild their lives after enduring the hardships of difficult migration journeys.  

At the centre, migrant residents receive essential services such as accommodation, psychological assistance, and skills training, alongside activities like art therapy and storytelling workshops.  The centre is part of IOM’s wider North Africa Migration and Development (NAMAD) project, funded by UK International Development from the UK government. NAMAD supports migrants in vulnerable situations by providing livelihood skills training, mental health and psychosocial support, and access to legal protections and support services across Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. 

For Gift and Precious, the centre has helped them develop a strong friendship. Both Nigerian migrants, they met after arriving at the centre and quickly became best friends. 'Precious doesn't even live in my room. She lives downstairs” Gift explains. “But she's always in my room. We are just together like family'. 

Their inseparable bond has become an essential part of their healing process, as both women have endured significant challenges during their migration journeys, but together, they’ve created a space where they can process their experiences and help each other focus on the future. 'When we are sad, we help each other', Gift reflects. 'We don't give ourselves time to think too much about the stress'.  

The centre played a crucial role in fostering this sense of belonging. Its communal spaces and group activities are designed to encourage connection, creativity and learning, helping the residents not only heal but also rebuild their confidence.   

The activities the centre are very important, and their friendship supports them when taking part. 'Whatever activity they do here we do together', Gift says. They often motivate each other to be engaged, 'if one person is sleeping, we would wake them up”. “Come and do your activities!', Gift shouts with a smile on her face. 

For Gift, these activities are important for her to deal with anxiety and stress - ‘it's helped me…sometimes when you're sitting, you think a lot, which is very risky to your health. And those activities, they help me, mentally, psychologically, like many ways, they help’, she says. 

Another key activity at the centre is skills training, where the residents learn cosmetology, equipping them with skills that can generate sustainable income upon their return home. For Precious making cream has been very beneficial as she says, ‘I understand the cream, and I can even make it on my own...when I go back to my country, I will sell it, so it benefits me.'   

To date, NAMAD has supported over 250 migrants in Algeria, including Precious and Gift. Through IOM's comprehensive approach, the project fosters community, provides mental health support, and builds resilience and opportunities, empowering migrants to create better futures for themselves. 

These efforts align with the broader challenges of migration, as most migration worldwide occurs at the intra-regional level. By supporting migrants in vulnerable situations along the most challenging migration routes, and working with local communities, NAMAD can reduce the factors that make migration a necessity rather than a choice, such as increased vulnerabilities and lack of opportunities. This in turn strengthens communities and protects people on the move, working toward a more sustainable, positive impact. 

*DARV – Dispositif d’accueil pour le retour volontaire.