Mafaz Global Solutions (MGS) provides comprehensive services to prevent migrant smuggling and reduce the risks associated with unsafe migration journeys across the Horn of Africa. Migrant smuggling is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights that exposes migrants to extreme risks, including exploitation, abuse, detention, and death. Our services are designed to strengthen community and institutional capacity to prevent smuggling, disrupt criminal networks, protect individuals from exploitation, and address the root causes that make communities vulnerable to smuggling operations. We work with governments, international organizations, civil society, communities, and migrants themselves to design and implement responses that are rights-based, evidence-driven, and locally owned. Our approach recognizes that smuggling thrives where there is limited access to safe and regular migration pathways, weak governance, poverty, conflict, and lack of awareness, and that addressing smuggling therefore requires coordinated action across communities, institutions, and borders.
Prevention and Awareness Services
MGS designs and implements prevention and awareness campaigns that inform potential migrants and communities about the risks of migrant smuggling. Our services include community awareness sessions and outreach campaigns, radio and digital information platforms, printed and visual awareness materials, peer-to-peer information networks, engagement with religious and community leaders, school-based awareness programs, and awareness campaigns targeting families of potential migrants. We serve potential migrants and their families, youth at risk of irregular migration, communities in smuggling hotspots, and returning migrants and returnees. All information is culturally appropriate, linguistically accessible, and tailored to the needs of different audiences, ensuring that communities have the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and resist the false promises of smugglers.
Community Engagement Services
MGS works with communities to address the drivers of migrant smuggling and reduce the risks associated with unsafe migration. We engage community leaders, youth groups, women’s associations, and local institutions to raise awareness, build resilience, and create local opportunities that reduce the pressure to migrate irregularly. Our services include community dialogue and engagement, youth empowerment and local opportunity creation, livelihood support and skills development, engagement of community and religious leaders, community-based early warning and protection systems, local awareness and prevention campaigns, support for youth-led initiatives, and community mobilization against smuggling. We serve communities in smuggling hotspots, youth and women’s groups, community leaders and local institutions, and local civil society organizations. Community engagement is designed to be locally owned and responsive to context-specific needs, ensuring that interventions are relevant, credible, and sustainable.
Capacity Strengthening Services
MGS strengthens the capacity of institutions, frontline actors, and community organizations to prevent and respond to migrant smuggling. We provide training, technical assistance, and institutional support to government agencies, law enforcement, border officials, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations. Our services include training for law enforcement and border officials, capacity development for civil society organizations, institutional strengthening for government agencies, development of standard operating procedures, support for referral pathways and protection mechanisms, training on victim identification and protection, support for coordination mechanisms, and mentorship and technical assistance. We serve government institutions and officials, law enforcement and border agencies, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations. Capacity strengthening is designed to improve coordination, enhance skills, and build systems that can effectively prevent smuggling and protect migrants.
Identification of Migration Risks Services
MGS conducts research and analysis to identify migration risks and vulnerabilities associated with smuggling. We map smuggling routes, identify hotspots, and analyze the tactics and methods used by smugglers. Our services include mapping of smuggling routes and hotspots, analysis of smuggling tactics and methods, risk assessments and vulnerability analysis, early warning systems and monitoring, data collection and management, research on smuggling dynamics, protection risk assessments, and context and stakeholder analysis. We serve governments and policy makers, international organizations and donors, law enforcement and border agencies, and civil society organizations. This information is used to inform prevention strategies, protection interventions, and policy responses, and to support the development of early warning systems that can identify emerging smuggling trends and enable timely responses.
Stakeholder Coordination Services
MGS facilitates coordination among stakeholders working on anti-smuggling in the Horn of Africa. We support information-sharing, joint planning, and collaborative action to ensure that anti-smuggling responses are coherent, effective, and protection-focused. Our services include facilitation of coordination meetings and platforms, information-sharing and knowledge management, joint planning and programme alignment, support for referral pathways and service coordination, engagement with regional and international networks, cross-border coordination and cooperation, documentation of good practices and lessons learned, and support for national and regional strategies. We serve governments and institutions, UN agencies and international organizations, civil society and community-based organizations, and regional and international networks. Coordination is essential to avoid duplication, maximize resources, and ensure that interventions reach those most in need, particularly given the transnational nature of smuggling networks.
Evidence Generation and Policy Support Services
MGS generates evidence on migrant smuggling dynamics, trends, and protection risks in the Horn of Africa. Our research informs programme design, policy development, and advocacy at local, national, and regional levels. We use qualitative and quantitative methods to produce timely, actionable evidence that supports decision-making and improves anti-smuggling outcomes. Our services include research on smuggling dynamics and trends, policy analysis and development support, legal and institutional assessments, evidence generation and dissemination, advocacy for policy reform, support for national and regional strategies, knowledge products and dissemination, and engagement with policymakers and stakeholders. We serve governments and policy makers, international organizations and donors, research institutions and universities, and civil society organizations. We also provide policy support to governments and institutions seeking to strengthen legal frameworks, strategies, and systems to prevent smuggling and protect migrants.
Protection and Assistance Services
MGS provides protection-oriented services for vulnerable migrants and victims of smuggling. We work to strengthen protection mechanisms, improve access to services, and ensure that victims of smuggling receive the assistance they need. Our services include protection mechanism strengthening, referral systems development, access to appropriate services, community-based support, protection awareness, coordination among relevant stakeholders, support for vulnerable migrants in transit, and assistance for women, children, and other at-risk groups. We serve victims of smuggling, vulnerable migrants in transit, women and girls, unaccompanied and separated children, and other at-risk populations. Our approach is rights-based, survivor-centered, and community-driven, ensuring that the needs and rights of migrants are at the center of all interventions.
Service Outcomes
Through our anti-smuggling services, MGS aims to achieve reduced incidence of migrant smuggling in target communities, strengthened community and institutional capacity to prevent smuggling, improved identification and protection of individuals at risk of smuggling, enhanced coordination among stakeholders working on anti-smuggling, increased awareness of smuggling risks and prevention measures, strengthened legal and policy frameworks to prevent smuggling, improved protection and assistance for victims of smuggling, enhanced evidence base to inform anti-smuggling policy and programming, and reduced vulnerability of migrants to exploitation and abuse. These outcomes are achieved through integrated, evidence-based, and protection-centered interventions that respond to the specific needs and realities of the Horn of Africa region.
Geographic Coverage
MGS delivers anti-smuggling services across the Horn of Africa, with operations in Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Sudan. In Somalia, our focus includes awareness, community engagement, capacity strengthening, and coordination. In Ethiopia, we focus on prevention, awareness, research, policy support, and community resilience. In Djibouti, our services include transit migration support, coordination, capacity development, and protection. In South Sudan, we focus on community engagement, awareness, capacity strengthening, and policy support. This regional presence enables MGS to address smuggling challenges in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, recognizing that smuggling networks operate across borders and require cross-border responses.
Why Choose MGS
Mafaz Global Solutions brings deep local expertise and knowledge of Horn of Africa smuggling dynamics to every engagement. Our work is rights-based, grounded in a commitment to human rights, protection, and dignity for all migrants. We are evidence-driven, ensuring that research and data inform all interventions. We are partnership-oriented, working collaboratively with governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and communities. Our approach is protection-centered, with a focus on reducing vulnerability and preventing exploitation. We prioritize sustainable impact through capacity building for long-term change. We remain adaptive and responsive to rapidly changing smuggling dynamics across the region.
Safer Journeys. Protected Lives.
Protecting People | Strengthening Systems | Building Resilient Communities