- Thanks to those who have purchased a t-shirt, bag, jersey or book from the Inor Ez Da Ilegala project, EUR 15,720 has so far been allocated to the Mbolo association of Senegalese merchants in Bilbao: the money they initially used to try to create a cooperative, and they have subsequently deposited the money into the resistance fund they have in place for the migrant families most affected by the pandemic. Mbolo continues to fight for the rights of all and to ensure a dignified life for all; if you want to support the project, claim to wear: No one is illegal, Amul been nit ku leegalul!
Two years ago, the initiative Inor Ez Da Ilegala was born, the result of the collaboration between ARGIA and Mbolo Moye Doole. For each sale by ARGIA, half of the benefits are for the ARGIA project and the other half for the Mbolo association. When it is the same Mbolo who sells jerseys, t-shirts, books and bags from Inor Ez Da Ilegala, the amount received by the Senegalese from Bilbao is somewhat larger. And little by little significant economic support is being achieved.
What has the money been invested in?
Senegalese traders themselves have gone to Mbolo to decide how to manage the money for the purchase of cruises. While the street sale was carried out legally, the law was hardened and condemned to secrecy, so the money was used to deal with it. The money raised was allocated to the creation of the cooperative, a project that has not yet materialized as a result of the obstruction. And now, in the midst of a pandemic, they are clear about the fate of the money: the resistance box they have created to help the migrants most in need. In fact, it was created for the time of confinement, as the people who live with the day were left with nothing from morning to night, even outside the financial aid put in place by governments – because many migrants have no role – but, seeing that the situation does not improve, they keep the resistance box active. “The income of the resistance box is much lower than that of the time of confinement and it is understandable, all this is stretching longer than is believed, so the money from No-Is Illegal comes well, to strengthen the resistance box and help the families who are worst with the money we are going to raise,” says Khadim Sambe, a member of Mbolo.
The pandemic is taking a heavy toll on migrants who are already suffering from harsh conditions and who continue to fight and work hard for the rights of all. “Right now we are asking for a social census, along with other associations. The goal is to register people who live on the street and have no fixed housing and last summer we agreed an agreement with the administration, but since then they have done nothing, they have not registered anyone,” Samb said. And the census, regularization in general, is an essential means, and of justice, for a dignified life. “I, for example, have been in Bilbao for more than eight years and I am still paperless, illegally, without dignified work,” Mbolo’s member regrets.
Continue to strengthen the project
To continue supporting ARGIA and Mbolo and getting the claim to the street, you can buy the products of Inor Ez Da Ilegala at the ARGIA fair (or by calling 943 371545) and if you are from the area of Bilbao, you can also request it directly to Mbolo by calling Bouba Diouf: 688 736 963.