Communication for Development

Communication for Development is a participatory process where communication tools and activities are used to support social and behaviour change in a sustained way. It is used to understand a targeted audience’s knowledge, attitudes and practices around a certain issue in order to work with them to develop empowering messages and tools.

Migrants as Messengers

A growing body of research suggests that potential migrants are generally distrustful of information campaigns on irregular migration and that they are more likely to believe information obtained through trusted sources.

Implemented regionally across seven countries for its second phase, Migrants as Messengers addresses this distrust by encouraging youth in migration-prone communities in West Africa to adopt new attitudes and behaviors on migration through peer-to-peer messaging. The campaign is carried out directly by returned migrants who share with their communities and families their experiences, making their stories accessible to local decision makers, community leaders, religious leaders, and potential migrants.

Donor: The Kingdom of the Netherlands

IOM X West Africa

First launched in Asia in 2014 and adapted to West Africa in 2019, IOM X is IOM’s global campaign aimed at encouraging safe migration. Impact assessments have shown that the campaign’s audiences adopted more positive attitudes and behaviors, helping to protect themselves from exploitation.

Identifying a need for accurate information on safe migration and local opportunities, as well as a desire by community members to actively lead campaigns, IOM X is replicating this model in The Gambia. Community members in Brikama, West Coast Region, are expanding on a multimedia campaign launched in early 2021, aimed at empowering young people to make informed migration-related decisions.

Donor: German Federal Foreign Office

Strengthening Communication on Migration in The Gambia

Through this project, IOM aims to contribute to enhanced understanding and capacity among the government, media and civil society to communicate strategically about migration in The Gambia. This objective will be achieved through a variety of platforms, including:

• Implementing a comprehensive training program for government agencies to support government-led strategic communication on migration
• Strengthening media coverage of migration issues by building the knowledge and skills of journalists
• Building the capacities of civil society organizations to carry out migration-related advocacy work
• Developing the evidence base to inform communication on migration and strengthen migration-related information campaigns

Donors: EU Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG Home)