Daniel's Fishing Boat

Daniel grew up in Ghana, where his family had a small fishing business. He worked as a fisherman all his life but was not earning enough to make ends meet. When Daniel and his wife had their third child in 2002, he decided to leave Ghana to look for more stable employment in Europe. He came to Ireland, where he worked as an irregular migrant for nearly ten years. His wife and children remained in Ghana. Daniel struggled in Ireland without a work permit, and eventually found himself facing difficulty in securing housing and basic necessities. He saw online that IOM offered assistance to migrants who wanted to return to their countries of origin, and made an appointment at the office in Dublin.

Daniel spoke to IOM staff and learned that he could receive assistance with purchasing a plane ticket and with organizing his travel documents. He also found out that he could apply for reintegration assistance and receive a grant that would allow him to start a business or invest in his children’s education. Daniel wanted to reunite with his family, and decided to return to Ghana permanently.

After he returned to Ghana, Daniel applied for the reintegration grant through the local IOM office. He used part of the money to reinvest in his family’s fishing business, purchasing nets of higher quality and stronger material. He also used part of the money to pay for his children’s schooling, which he said gave him, “breathing space for one year.”

After six months, Daniel was contacted by IOM to discuss how his business was going. The fishing business did well with the new nets, but unfortunately his fishing equipment had been badly damaged in a storm. He was looking for a loan so that he could repair it. Daniel said that his business will continue to expand, however, because fishing is a good business.