The Women Who Left Algeria with Purpose in Their Hands

Algiers, Algeria – The smell of soap was the first thing that made Bibiane feel like herself again. In a quiet training room in Algiers, surrounded by women she had only just met, she dipped her hands into a bowl of warm oils and herbs and began to stir.

It had been a long road to that moment. Bibiane had crossed borders, endured instability, and faced loss. So had Aisha, who arrived in Algeria after walking for days across the border from Tunisia, hoping to find her husband but instead landing in an unfamiliar city, alone and undocumented.

Neither woman expected that a small, simple workshop would change the course of their lives. But it did.

Bibiane and Aisha returned to their home countries not with empty hands, but with new skills, quiet confidence, and a clear sense of purpose. Their journeys show that returning home can be more than just a fresh start. It can be the beginning of something stronger.

Bibiane collects leaves from her garden to use in her homemade cosmetics, including banana leaves known for their skin-rejuvenating properties. Photos: IOM 2025/Hadjer Bouguerche

When Bibiane first arrived at the temporary hosting facility run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Algiers, she wasn’t sure what to expect. The centre provided support to migrants preparing for assisted voluntary return and reintegration to their countries of origin, as well as shelter, counselling, mental health and psychosocial support, and vocational training. There, she hesitantly signed up for a workshop on making cosmetic products.

“I didn’t even want to join at first,” she recalls. “I was discouraged. I thought, ‘What’s the point?’”

Eventually, she agreed to try one of the sessions offered at the centre. The space was calm, the faces around her kind. Soon, she found herself looking forward to the classes. She learned how to make moisturizing creams, deodorants, soaps, and even perfume, using natural ingredients. For the first time in a long while, she felt focused and curious.

“I had never touched a soap mold before,” she says. “But I quickly learned how to make so many cosmetic products, all from natural ingredients.”

When she returned to Cameroon, her older sister placed the very first order. A small request, just a lotion for the family, but it meant everything.

“She wasn’t just encouraging me,” Bibiane says. “She believed in me.”

Bibiane and her sister proudly show the homemade soap she learned to make during an the workshop. Photos: IOM 2025/Hadjer Bouguerche

This story was written by Hadjer Bouguerche, Communication Assistant with IOM Algeria.