In Senegal, rising sea temperatures and years of overfishing have depleted the country’s fish stocks that are vital to the economy and feeding the population. A third of the country lives in poverty, and even with education, it is difficult for many to find sustainable jobs.
That’s why Djiby, a Senegalese man, told ABC News he saw no other choice but to board a small wooden boat called a pirogue, hoping to reach Spain’s Canary Islands across the Atlantic.
“I’m going to Spain to support my family,” he told ABC News before setting off on his trip.
The Canary Islands are about a thousand miles off the coast of Senegal. It is also one of the most used routes by migrants hoping to reach Europe, according to international migration experts. But the journey across the water is dangerous and, worse, deadly.
More than 3,500 people died last year alone trying to reach Europe according to the UNCHR. Other NGOs estimate that the death toll is much higher.
And yet, people are willing to risk paying the ultimate price for a chance at a better life.
Mbene Kane is a single mom thinking about taking this trip to the Canary Islands with her 6-year-old daughter. Kane worked selling fish and said rising prices and lower supply left her unable to provide the life she wants for her daughter.
“Having all these needs and assuming there’s somewhere you can go and get those needs met, you don’t care about the risks — you go,” Kane told ABC News.
Kane attempted to make the trip once before, but her boat was hit by treacherous waters that forced her to return to shore.
“The water was coming into the boat. As the water was coming in, we tried to remove it, but more waves were coming in,” he recalled.
Kane said he has concerns for her and her daughter’s safety if she decides to attempt the trip again.
And for good reason.
One of the deadliest incidents last year took place in August off the coast of Cape Verde, when a boat carrying 100 Senegalese migrants sank.
Assane was one of the passengers on the boat and described the harsh conditions he faced.
“The boat didn’t move for two days. They gave everyone two bars of biscuits every day. When we ran out of food, a lot more people died,” he told ABC News. “All I could think about was death. It was only a matter of days, but I was convinced I was going to die.”
Assane still has scars on his face and neck from the ropes used to save the boat he was on for 35 days. He vowed never to make the trip again.
“We rely on the sea, but there is nothing left in this sea,” he said.
While the ocean is the deadliest migrant route of all, many Africans hoping to reach Europe must first cross the grueling Sahara desert.
Georgette is from Benin, West Africa and decided to make the journey across the desert with her son to meet her husband in Libya. Once there, they plan to go to Italy for a better life.
“If you don’t have money, you don’t have anything in life. You can’t just have a baby. A baby can’t find food. It’s not good,” she told ABC News.
Georgette waited three weeks in Niger to cross more than 800 miles of desert. She and her son rode in the back of a truck with dozens of other migrants for six days.
The trip cost Georgette $500, but the physical and emotional toll of the trip was far greater.
After days under the relentless sun and with little water, Georgette found herself weak, exhausted and dehydrated.
“The sun bothers me a lot. On this route, there is too much suffering,” he said.
More than 5,600 people have died or gone missing in the Sahara since 2014, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. However, the route is so dangerous and the smuggling shrouded in secrecy that the actual death toll is believed to be much higher.
Georgette and her son were lucky, they reached Libya. Although when they take a boat to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, there is no doubt that another perilous journey awaits.
ABC News’ Sohel Uddin, Aicha El Hammar and Adoum Moussa contributed to this report.