27-year-old Amiat Ahmed and her two-year-old son live with Amiat’s parents in the South Wollo Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Like many other young people in her region, Amiat used to feel that there were limited opportunities to earn income in her village, which led to her decision to migrate to Saudi Arabia.

“I witnessed young people from my village sending money back to their families,” Amiat says of those who inspired her to make a similar move. “I thought I could do the same thing for my parents.”

Unfortunately, Amiat’s plans for her future in the Middle East did not turn out as she had hoped. In order to reach Saudi Arabia, Amiat had to walk for days in the desert without enough food or water, and was mistreated by traffickers along the way. After a difficult and risky journey, she finally arrived in Saudi Arabia, but it was not a warm welcome.

“Nothing was as expected,” says Amiat.