COVID-19 and the voices of migrants and refugees

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“Waiting to be back in the streets" by Amadou Jallow, 20, Gambia.

Bassirou, Ibrahima, Amadou, Ismaila and Alagie are young migrants and refugees who arrived in Italy in the past few years from West Africa through the Central Mediterranean Route. They all share the same passion for photography, so they decided to tell about their period of the coronavirus lockdown through their cameras. 

Migrants and refugees around the world are especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. In many places around the world, people living as refugees, migrants or internally displaced face immense barriers to accessing healthcare and preventative services like proper handwashing and sanitation facilities.

These photographers are participants of U-Topia, an active citizenship programme launched in 2019 in Sicily, a region in the south of Italy hosting in the past few years around 40% of all unaccompanied minors in the country. 

Bassirou is also an ambassador for U-Report on the move, launched by UNICEF in 2017 to let young migrants and refugees speak out on issues that matter to them. Learn more about the U-Report platform, here.

Related: Migrants, exposed and vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic

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“I stay at home, look out of the window. I continue my activities online, but I miss the hugs of people I love. I hope to be back to 'normality soon.” Alagie Malick Ceesay, 19, Gambia
“I stay at home, look out of the window. I continue my activities online, but I miss the hugs of people I love. I hope to be back to 'normality' soon.” Alagie Malick Ceesay, 19, Gambia
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"Helping hands during quarantine” by Ismaila Kouyate, Senegal
"Helping hands during quarantine” by Ismaila Kouyate, Senegal
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Bassirou Dembele
“Sharing in times of Covid-19” by Bassirou Dembelem 20, Mali.
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“Home, Room, school. Staying at home to protect and be protected,” by Ibrahima Kalissa, 22, Guinea Conakry
“Home, Room, school. Staying at home to protect and be protected,” by Ibrahima Kalissa, 22, Guinea Conakry
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“Waiting to be back in the streets" by Amadou Jallow, 20, Gambia.
“Waiting to be back in the streets" by Amadou Jallow, 20, Gambia.
Visual arts
Italy