Coming back home with a suitcase full of plans

Early morning at the airport in Frankfurt am Main. Mohammed S. pushes a full trolley through the almost empty departure lounge, and speaks to Ivica Marosevic from the regional council in Karlsruhe. The repatriation advisor doesn’t always personally accompany those who have decided to return home this far, but in these times of corona he stays by the side of Mohammed S. until his plane takes off. The Gambian looks happy. He only gets somewhat flustered when he is told at the check-in desk that the suitcases, which he has packed after years away from his home country, are too heavy. He and Marosevic think about what best to do. Some of his luggage will have to be sent by post.

Working together to find solutions – something which Mohammed S. and his repatriation advisor have always done ever since February 2020, when they spoke with each other for the first time about the 44-year-old Gambian’s wish to return home. Mohammed S. was then living in the Baden-Württemberg arrival centre in Heidelberg. He travelled to Europe at the end of 2015, and spent his first few years in Italy before coming to Germany. His desire to return to Gambia grew stronger over time. He missed his wife and four children. They live in his home town of Sare Hamadi in the Upper River Region in the east of the small African country.

Mohammed S. did everything right, and together with Marosevic he submitted all the necessary applications for support before leaving Germany. His business plan and the start-up training in Germany also helped him to apply for support from the return and reintegration scheme ERRIN (European Return and Reintegration Network). “The help provided by the ERRIN program in applying for voluntary repatriation while still in Germany makes the process much easier and above all more secure for the applicant”, says Marosevic. “This means that we as the relevant authority can issue the relevant documents directly and also react more quickly where necessary if applications are incomplete or incorrect.” As well as further coaching in Gambia, Mohammed S. can also count on equipment to help set up his shop.

“I feel very well prepared for going back home”, says Mohammed S. shortly before taking off. “It hasn’t been easy because of corona, but we’ve got through it together.” The Gambian was tested for the coronavirus shortly before leaving, and came back negative. With the confirmation that he was covid-free and the plane ticket booked by the IOM, Mohammed S. is flying back to Gambia via Brussels. He will land in the capital city of Banjul early in the evening. His journey isn’t quite over yet though, because then Mohammed S. will take a night bus to his village. Then he will finally get to see his family again after five long years.  

„Ich fühle mich wirklich gut auf meine Rückkehr vorbereitet“, sagt Mohammed S. kurz vor dem Abflug. „Durch Corona ist alles nicht einfach, aber wir haben es zusammen geschafft.“ Für die Reise hatte der Gambier noch kurz zuvor einen Test gemacht, der bestätigte, dass bei ihm keine Infektion mit dem Corona-Virus vorliegt. Mit dieser Bestätigung und seinem Flugticket, das IOM gebucht hatte, fliegt Mohammed S. über Brüssel nach Gambia. Am frühen Abend landet er auf dem Flughafen der Hauptstadt Banjul. Diese eine Nacht muss er noch warten, dann nimmt Mohammed S. einen Bus in sein Dorf. Und sieht nach fünf Jahren endlich seine Familie wieder.