A Migrant's Journey Begins

West African family heartbroken after sending child on treacherous journey to seek a better life in Europe.

By Nicolas Haque

VIDEO

May 20, 2015 "Information Clearing House" - "Al Jazeera" - Abdou Diallo has been training to be a mechanic in Senegal's capital, Dakar, for six years - since he was 10 - hoping to one day get a paying job.

But knowing that his life would likely be spent struggling to earn a small wage, the 16-year-old's parents have taken out a huge loan and sold all of the family possessions so that Abdou can try and make the treacherous journey to Europe.

While the visa to most European nations cost about $100, Abdou and his family know that Africans are rarely able to obtain such visas.

So they are paying people smugglers $3,000 to organise the trip, which will include an overland trip into Libya and then onto a boat to cross the Mediterranean.

It is a trip fraught with danger. Nearly 2,000 migrants are thought to have drowned trying to reach Europe so far this year and more than 10,000 have been rescued.

Full article: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41915.htm