In Photographs & Lifelines: The Stories of 5 Youth Migrants in Kenya
This is a digitised version of a photo gallery exhibited at the event ‘Youth, Migration & Development: A New Lens for Critical Times’ jointly organised by Samuel Hall, KNOMAD, OECD, UNDP, and the World Bank on 16.03.23 in Nairobi
By Samuel Hall Team with support from:
Welcome! Through this photo gallery, we give you a glimpse into the dreams and the lives of five African youngsters! These five youths have had diverse experiences and struggles on their journey to Kenya and each one has shared their dreams and aspirations with us.
A s the world undergoes a period of uncertainty, young people around the world are particularly affected by the growing inequalities and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Young people who have made the difficult choice to move, or who have been forced to do so, are particularly marginalised in their current environment: they are not only socially and economically vulnerable, but also psychologically and often legally so.
Samuel Hall’s research shows that youth migrants bring with them creativity and innovation, and are often risk-takers, prepared to seize opportunities with a greater awareness of tomorrow’s challenges.
Many have a thirst for equality and peace as well as the belief that problems are only the beginnings of future solutions to which they can, and must, contribute.
International migration can be an opportunity for young people to improve their lives and those of their families by pursuing education or employment opportunities and to leave a context where they do not feel safe or where their political rights are not always taken into account.
Yet, for migrants and non-migrants alike, the period of transitioning into adulthood is now taking place against a backdrop of high unemployment, underemployment, labour flexibilization, governance failures, persistent gender inequalities, social exclusion and growing concerns about climate change.
Samuel Hall and KNOMAD (Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development) undertook research in 2022–2023 to understand the reality of the “integration” of young migrants within the societies and communities through which they transit or in which they reside.
The research locations in Africa: Dakar, Senegal; Sfax, Tunisia; Nairobi & Garissa, Kenya were selected to represent diverse mobility and integration dynamics affecting youth. The primary research group was migrant and non-migrant youth aged between 18 and 30 years old, residing in the countries of research, from both primary and secondary cities.
The research team deployed the following research tools:
- Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) — Drawing on participatory exercises along with typical question format, FGDs explored experiences of integration, and of inclusion/exclusion, participation, aspirations, and attitudes among migrant and non-migrant youth;
- Lifelines, Critical Incident Techniques & Dreams — Semi-structured interviews were conducted with migrant youth to identify incidents related to integration in countries of destination or transit (positive or negative impacts), to collect records of events and behaviours that have been observed to lead to success or failure in accomplishing a specific task were recorded. Participants were also asked to narrate the dreams they have when they sleep, a sociological approach used to obtain an indication of the general wellbeing of participants.
- Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) — KIIs were conducted with national and local stakeholders to contribute to understandings of the broader context, such as the political, economic and social environment and known migration and integration challenges.
- Co-creative Workshops — Research undertaken in a co-production approach was based on tenets of community-based participatory research, where communities and/or research participants participated to define variables and measures, generating knowledge on the community.
The people you will meet through this exhibition, are five of our respondents in Nairobi & Garissa, Kenya — whose portraits are beautifully shot by Malcolm Muga and lifelines* visualised by Samuel Hall’s Devyani Nighoskar with powerful excerpts from their interviews.
Through these galleries, the participants tell their stories — their dreams, their journeys, their challenges and their aspirations.
So dive into the stories of Ahlam, Faridah, Ali, Nasiib and Semhal*
Ali
Ahlam
Faridah
Semhal
Nassib
*The lifelines are based on the life events recounted by the participants in their own hand-drawn lifelines — and the years corresponding to the events are approximates — as they have at times been calculated based on age and time ranges recalled by the participants.
