In May 2019, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) set up call centers along the most popular migrant routes in West Africa, allowing people fleeing their home countries to contact their families for free. Most of the mobile phone banks were located in Niger, which has two such call centers at bus stations in Agadez, two in Arlit and one in Dirkou. They were established as part of the ICRC’s program to assist migrants in keeping in touch with loved ones. Since the Niger locations were established, the ICRC has extended the program to Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia. According to the nonprofit Infomigrants, the phone stands aren’t just there for free phone calls either: volunteers also inform their clients of “the dangers linked to sea- or desert-crossings.”
