I had to clean toilets in Morocco –Graduate immigrant

A Kenyan university graduate has recounted how she had to clean toilets to survive in Morocco after she immigrated there illegally and planned to move on to Europe from there but didn’t as she became scared of dying during the 45-minute crossing from Morocco to Europe.

Mary by name, the graduate who was a school teacher in Kenya, shared her irregular migration experiences at the third edition of Migration Conversation, a platform arising from a partnership between the International Organization for Migration and a private Kenyan university, the United States International University Africa. 

According to her, she discovered upon her arrival in Casablanca that French and Arabic are the main spoken languages in Morocco. She speaks neither, thus the only job she could get was cleaning. 

“No matter what your problems are at home, sit down,” she told the attentive audience, composed mainly of students. “Think about where you are going and take the right documents.” 

After about two years in Casablanca, she said she was moved to try her luck in Europe when someone persuaded her that “Europe, after all, is only 45 minutes from Morocco.” 

So, she paid $500 to agents and travelled to Rabat where she joined many others who were due to cross the Atlantic for Spain. 

But she changed her mind because “I met people who were still waiting for the chance of going to Europe after six months.”

And she had another reason: a migrant boat bound for Spain capsized and she knew some of those who died.

“It dawned on me that I might not get to Spain alive,” she recalled. 

So, saddled with an expired tourist visa and unable to buy an air ticket to Kenya, she sought help.

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration stepped in and funded her journey home and her subsequent reintegration.

She’s now back in her village and running a dry cleaner's business as IOM’s reintegration assistance for returning migrants includes medical help for those who need it, psychosocial support, links to employment opportunities and training in entrepreneurship.

Another service offered is family tracing and reunification for unaccompanied minors.