Across Europe, migrants are denied care —but grassroots organisations are uniting to expose injustice and reclaim the right to health.
By Denis Onyango & Anne Flaherty Gupta
Photographs and Alan Compton
In a climate of rising xenophobia and restrictive migration policies, Health Without Borders was launched to centre something often left out of public health discourse: humanity. This storytelling initiative, grounded in the realities of migrant life in Europe, brings forward intimate portraits of individuals navigating complex and often exclusionary healthcare systems. Their voices are more than anecdotes. They are evidence of what systems overlook and what policymakers must confront.
“Until our skills, language needs, and dignity are respected,” said Ms Awa, a former teacher from Senegal, “many of us will keep fighting to be seen.”
The project began in Sicily and Athens — two symbolic and strategic entry points to the European Union. These cities reflect both the promise of care and the failures of bureaucratic neglect. Here, migrants are caught in limbo: underpaid, underserved, and often unheard. But they are not invisible. Local organisations — like LHIVE in Italy and Open Paths in Greece — are fighting back, one human interaction at a time.
The stories told through Health Without Borders are rooted in the same communities supported by the Mi-Health HIV Partnership, a cross-European initiative led by community organisations in 10 countries. This partnership delivered targeted HIV testing, created multilingual health education tools, and gathered a vast, disaggregated dataset on migrant health access — data that had previously been nonexistent or unreliable.
While Health Without Borders documents the emotional and human dimensions of exclusion, Mi-Health complements it with scale and strategy. The two efforts converge: one offers the data, the other demands empathy. Together, they expose and challenge the layered inequalities migrants face.
As the Mi-Health final report states:
“Migrants are not hard to reach — systems are just not built to reach them.”
And yet, the network did. Over 2,400 HIV tests were administered. 17,000+ educational materials were distributed. Migrants across Europe — including undocumented people, refugees, and survivors of trafficking — were met where they lived, prayed, and worked. This wasn’t charity. It was expertise. It was trust. It was power.
The lived experiences collected through Health Without Borders show how health is not simply biological — it is bureaucratic, emotional, and political. Many migrants face systemic blockades long before they ever see a doctor.
“Simple tasks can trigger panic attacks,” said Mr. Théo, a Congolese lawyer tortured for defending human rights, “transporting me back to that dark cell.”
Others like Mr. Imran, a craftsman from Pakistan, describe how the loss of a residence permit meant losing access to even basic medical services.
“Every clinic visit turned into a battle with paperwork.”
The Mi-Health data backs this up: migrants with irregular status face higher prevalence of HIV and lower awareness of prevention tools. Among undocumented migrants, PrEP awareness was just 21%, compared to 43% for those with legal residency.
And yet, within these bleak conditions, there is transformation.
“The joy of having undergone surgery outweighs the discomfort of experiencing racism,” said Mr. Musa, who traveled from Gambia to Italy in search of a life-saving heart operation.
Today, he works as a cultural mediator, helping other migrants navigate the same barriers he once faced.
These portraits are not just about survival — they are about contribution. Ms. Mariama, a Sierra Leonean activist, now runs a women’s empowerment organisation in Greece. Ms. Alina, who migrated from Albania for medical care, calls migrants an “immense force” capable of reshaping the societies that host them.
The Mi-Health Partnership echoes this, advocating for stronger policies, inclusive data collection, and better funding for community-led efforts. Their recommendations are clear:
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Legal status should never dictate access to care.
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Migrant voices must shape healthcare policy.
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Investment in community organisations is non-negotiable.
This is where Health Without Borders fits in — not just as a companion to policy, but as its conscience.
If the Mi-Health report is a roadmap for change, Health Without Borders is a reminder of what’s at stake. It turns data into faces, statistics into voices. It asks us to not only recognise the structural failures, but to amplify those already working to repair them.
Because when migrants are seen, believed, and supported — not just in their suffering but in their strength — everyone’s health system becomes stronger.
Health Without Borders Partners & Sponsor
ViiV Healthcare (sponsor), LHIVE Diritti e Prevenzione (partner), Open Paths Athens (partner), Africa Advocacy Foundation (partner)
