Born and raised in Dessie, Amhara region, and surrounded by people prone to migration, Alemayehu is aware of migrants’ socio-economic background and understands their motivations. Notwithstanding, he states with conviction that: “irregular migration is not the way to a better life; there are alternative solutions”.

A fresh graduate of psychology from Awasa University, Alemayehu applied for the position of Migration Hotline Operator in his hometown, Dessie City in Amhara region. Identified as one of the irregular migration hotspots in the country, IOM Ethiopia opened a pilot Migration Information Center and Hotline Service in Dessie city, South Wollo zone of Amhara region last November 2015 in collaboration with Dessie city Labour and Social Affairs Department. Alemayehu was selected and underwent a 3-day training on the operational and management issues of the services provided before working as a migration hotline operator.

The pilot project aims to raise awareness by providing appropriate information to potential migrants and other members of the community in Eastern Amhara region. “Our aim here is to ensure that potential migrants make a well-informed decision. In doing so, we also hope to curb irregular migration”, explains Mengistu Tadesse, Program Assistant in IOM Ethiopia Migration Management Unit.

With an average of 10 calls per day and a majority of 90% female callers aged between 20 and 30 years, most questions refer to the lifting of the ban on domestic workers to travel to the Middle East among other destinations. “Most of them want to go to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) or other oil-rich Gulf countries but they only have an 8^th to 10^th grade educational background. Moreover, they only speak Amharic with minimal to non-existent knowledge of baby care, cooking or the use of certain domestic appliances. How will they survive in these countries of destinations?” Alemayehu asks rhetorically.

When the caller is qualified, Alemayehu explains the official migration procedures; if not, he suggests acquiring these skills through recognized institutions such as the Technical and Vocational Training College in Dessie City. If the person intends to migrate irregularly, Alemayehu immediately apprises them of the risks and negative consequences of smuggling and trafficking. Lastly, he informs them of the livelihood alternatives at home especially those offered by the Government such as the small scale business support whereby an Ethiopian national can submit a business plan and once approved, support in the form of financial help is extended to the beneficiary.

Alemayehu recounts a situation in which four women aged between 22 and 27 reached out for advice and help: “together with their passports, they handed between 5’000 to 6’000 ETB to smugglers who disappeared without news for a whole year”. He advised them to immediately inform the police and explain their situation. The smugglers were identified and arrested and the women were able to retrieve their money and passports. “This was a rewarding moment for me; to help my fellow citizens and stop them from migrating irregularly”, he states with joy and satisfaction.

The Migration Hotline Service has provided services and successfully helped a total of 982 people to date from Dessie and the surrounding areas. “Based on the success of this pilot project, we hope to support the Government in the creation of additional ones so that we can reach out to more potential migrants in different irregular migration prone regions in the country,” Mengistu says. This pilot project is funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation and Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration (PRM).