In villages across The Gambia, families sell land, livestock, and treasured assets to fund the journey to Europe — a journey many see as their only hope for a better life.

But for countless families, that hope ends in tragedy: detention centers, deportation, or the silence of missing loved ones. The financial and emotional toll leaves scars that stretch across generations.

This special report by Sankulleh Janko delves into the human cost behind migration, revealing how dreams of a brighter future often come at a price too high to bear.