Paper short abstract:

Senegalese labour migrants on the Cape Verdean Island Boa Vista send regularly money to their families to help them to cover food expenses. The paper analyses the flow of remittances regarding their frequency, amount and how the family members at home use them.

Paper long abstract:

Migration is an important aspect of the Senegalese society today. An estimated 2.8 % of the total population lives abroad, and emigration not only influences the lives of people leaving the country but as well of the Senegalese at home. Emigration from Senegal is directed both to other African countries as well as to Europe or the USA. As a result of economic growth and the extension of the tourism sector since the beginning of the new millennium, Cape Verde has become a new destination for Senegalese labour migrants. Households in Senegal spend a high percentage of their income on aliments and they often depend on the support of migrated household members. Households try to minimize risk of food insecurity through the diversification of income resources and migration is one coping strategy to do so.

This paper analyses the migration of Senegalese to the Cape Verdean Island Boa Vista. The flow of remittances, which are sent home to their relatives, is one of the main characteristics of this migration. These remittances have impacts on both the lives of the family at home and as well as of the migrants themselves. In order to be able to send home money on a more or less regular basis migrants often have to accept hardship like poor housing conditions. This paper analyses migration decision and the flow of remittances with regard to their frequency, the amount, and how family members at home use them.