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Maryam is a young Somali woman who lost her family in the civil war. She was facing many problems and difficulties and decided to travel to Europe. She reached Egypt, and in Alexandria she boarded a smugglers’ ship.

Abdelmejid fled the war in his native Libya by boat. He travelled to the beach and was locked in a house with others until the smugglers were sure the police wouldn’t catch them. Then they walked to their boat. Despite finding less fuel than they’d need for the journey, and none of the provisions they were told to expect, they set off.

At the university in Khartoum, Abbas became involved in political activities against the Sudanese regime, and after having been arrested and harassed by the police he decided to flee the country. He had a friend who had gone to Israel and was giving him advice on how to arrange the journey with a smuggler. Abbas took a plane to Cairo and from there the smuggler sent him to Sinai. It was a long journey, first by bus and then on a pickup truck.

Joy fled her village in Nigeria because of the constant violence and insecurity there. In the city she met a woman who promised to take her to Europe to work as a nursemaid, and she gladly accepted. They were supposed to travel by plane, and Joy was surprised when after a long journey she found herself in the desert. The woman told her they were in Libya and Joy had to continue travelling because she could not turn back.

Deborah left her home in Nigeria because her stepmother treated her badly. She wanted to become a fashion designer and when she met a man who promised to take her to Europe, she gladly accepted. It was a big surprise to her when after arriving in Libya, she was told that the journey stopped there, and she had to start working as a prostitute.

Dunia and Ahmed are a married couple from Yemen living in Egypt. When the war started, they decided to flee to avoid their children being recruited by one of the fighting parties. The journey to Egypt took a month. The sea crossing to Sudan was difficult, the boat was overloaded, and they had little food and water. The smugglers were brutal and were hitting anyone who complained. After spending some time in Khartoum, they continued towards Egypt on a pickup truck.

Issa felt he had no future in his native country Chad and decided to try to get to Europe through Libya. He knew that the situation in Libya was not what it had been before, when people went there to get employment and improve their lives. He had heard about kidnappings and violence, but he hoped that he would be able to cross over to Europe quickly.

Ayman and his family fled the war in Syria because they could no longer endure the insecurity and the daily bombings. They went to Lebanon and took a plane to Cairo. His parents were already there, and Ayman moved in with them. Then he heard stories about people managing to reach Europe on smugglers’ boats and his interest peaked.

When the civil war in Yemen erupted in 2015, Yehia’s parents advised him to flee to Egypt to avoid conscription by one of the warring factions. Having arrived in Cairo via Sudan, Yehia contacted a smuggler who promised to take him across the sea to Italy.

Raed and his family fled the war in Syria and went to Lebanon. After three years there, their situation had become difficult and they decided to travel to Egypt. Raed, his wife and their small child flew to Khartoum and from there to Port Sudan, where they met the smuggler. Raed’s cousin had recommended this smuggler, but Raed did not find him trustworthy.

Kiros and his wife Adiam met in a refugee camp for Eritreans in Ethiopia, got married and started a family. Because of the lack of job opportunities in the camp, they moved to Sudan, where they hoped to be able to earn a living. That proved to be very difficult, and Kiros decided to go to South Sudan, where he stayed working for a year. When he returned to Khartoum, his family had left to go to Europe via Libya. Their situation in Sudan had become unbearable and Adiam had not been able to contact her husband. He now had no idea where they were but decided to follow them to Europe.

Aziz flees from Eritrea to Khartoum, his brother dies in the Sahara, he stays on in Khartoum because of his brother's death, he finally undertakes the journey to Libya, he is caught by some Libyan authorities and threatened with deportation back to Eritrea, and he is finally evacuated by UNHCR to Niger where he waits to be resettled.