At 38, Tiendrebéogo Yacouba is no longer the man once trapped in Algeria, battling homelessness and hopelessness. Today, he is a skilled textile technician, a mentor to others, and a proud father in Burkina Faso. With a stable job and a secure income, he now provides for his wife, young daughter, and ageing father—proof of what’s possible when resilience meets opportunity.
But Yacouba’s path to this new life was anything but easy.
Chasing a dream: A risky journey to Spain
In 2016, frustrated by the poor returns from his small business of selling telephones, mobile rechargeable units, and telecoms accessories, Yacouba made a desperate decision to search for his own golden fleece. After weighing all available options, he finally settled for Spain. Despite the uncertainties ahead of him, he abandoned his business, emptied his savings and borrowed another 100,000 CFA (about $175) with a plan to migrate irregularly from Burkina Faso to Niger, then to Algeria before proceeding to Morocco and then Spain.
His quest ended abruptly as he found himself stranded in Algeria.
Narrating how his journey to eldorado turned into a nightmare, Yacouba shared how traffickers exploited him and other migrants in transit.
‘We took a bus from Burkina to Niger, then on to Arlit, before journeying with the Tuaregs to Algeria. It wasn’t easy on the road. Especially in the desert. We sometimes were abandoned in the desert when we were penniless, or when we ran out of petrol. When you were sick, they abandoned you too. We walked for a month and spent more than three months on the road,’ said Yacouba.
Despite coughing out huge sums, they were deceived and abandoned in Algeria.
In Algeria, he faced racism, movement restrictions, and extreme vulnerability. Struggling to survive, he took on menial jobs and endured homelessness.
‘Life was hard over there. There was no freedom of movement. You couldn’t send money back home. It was like being in prison. When you went out, there was racism and the police not fine. If they caught you, they would send you back to the desert,’ he said.
To survive, he did menial jobs such as waterproofing roofs. At a point, he became a gardener, lived in an uncompleted building, raised livestock and also worked as a factory worker just to make ends meet. Since he was caught up in his own nightmares, all he was desperate about was food and survival.
Eventually, with help from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), he returned to Burkina Faso—still burdened with uncertainty and disappointment but clinging to hope.
A new chapter: skills, stability and self-reliance
That hope materialized when he attended an IOM meeting in Manga, Burkina Faso, where a former beneficiary of the International Trade Centre’s Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), Salif Zagré, introduced him to Commerce et Artisanat pour le Bien-Etre Social (Trade and Crafts for Social Welfare, or CABES).
CABES was created in 2014 with the support of EFI, to promote the work of artisans from Burkina Faso, by connecting them with international buyers. Initially launched with just four cooperatives, today CABES counts over 91 structures and more than 2,400 member artisans.
Yacouba enrolled in a three-month training in textile weaving and quality control, and after the training, he secured a good job that relieves him of his financial burden.
‘I received a lot of support thanks to the CABES, ITC and IOM, because I was trained for three months and received stipends to cover my transportation and needs throughout the training. After the training, I got a three-month contract to begin,’ said Yacouba.
Motivated to excel, Yacouba pursued advanced training in loom setting, dyeing, and large loom weaving in cities like Ouagadougou, Ouahigouya, and Fada. Through it all, CABES remained key pillars of support.
No looking back, no regrets
Having turned his life around, Yacouba has since abandoned any thoughts of leaving Burkina Faso again.
‘I no longer dream of fleeing. I have everything I need to build a future right here,’ he said.
His journey—from a struggling migrant to a respected craftsman—is now a source of inspiration to others navigating hardship.
Article was first published by International Trade Centre