Sumit’s Reintegration Journey Back to Kaithal

When Sumit finished his 12th standard in Kaithal, Haryana, the world beyond his village seemed full of promise. Several people he knew had gone abroad, and their stories made it sound like a door to a better life. At just 22, he took a heavy loan, paid an agency, and set out for Belgium.

The journey was nothing like what he was promised. His visa only took him as far as Serbia. From there he travelled mostly by road with other migrants, hiding from authorities, along the risky route many call “dunki”. When he finally reached Belgium, there was no steady work waiting for him. He took whatever small jobs he could find and moved from place to place. Somewhere along the way he lost his passport, and with it, his sense of security. He was far from home, carrying a debt his family back in India was also feeling.

After about a year, Sumit applied for asylum, and it was there that he heard about Caritas International Belgium, which helps migrants who wish to return home voluntarily. The counsellors listened to him and told him he did not have to face the return alone. Through the reintegration programme supported by FEDASIL, with Caritas India as its partner in his home country, a path back opened up.

Sumit returned to India on 4 May 2026. Within two weeks, he received EUR 615 to cover his first needs. But the harder days came after landing. Back in Kaithal, regular work was difficult to find, and the weight of the loan sat heavily on his family.

So Sumit reached out to Caritas India. Through online meetings and a careful conversation about his situation, the team learned that his family already knew the broom trade. It was a skill close to home and a business he could understand. With EUR 2,000 in assistance, Sumit bought his initial stock and began selling brooms in his local area.

Today, he says he is earning a good income. Every sale is helping him meet his family’s daily needs, and bit by bit, he hopes to repay the loan that once felt impossible. When that burden eases, he plans to grow his stock and reach more customers.

When asked whether he would ever go abroad again, his answer was quick. “I don’t want to go abroad now but establish my business and buy a bigger house for my family.”

Sumit has seen a great deal for his age. He knows what it feels like to live as a stranger in a land where everything is unfamiliar. Now he wants to build his future where his dignity is never in question.

His story is one of more than 10 returnees supported over the past two years by the Reintegration Programme of Caritas India and Caritas International Belgium, with FEDASIL’s backing. Each case carries the same belief, that coming home should not mean starting from nothing. Return is not an ending. With the right support, it can be the beginning of a stable livelihood, a family at peace, and a life lived with dignity in one’s own country.