As the civil war has raged on, more and more Syrians have been forced to leave their homes abruptly, unable to take with them the simple things that we take for granted. Clothing, valuables, food, water, pets and more are left behind. After a long, tiresome journey and upon temporarily placement in a shelter or refugee camp, IOM is there to distribute basic material goods and food to people in need.

Examples include IOM’s distribution of shoes to refugees living in Azraq camp in Jordan, and the delivery of hundreds of tents and 10,000 jerry cans to Syrian refugees in Iraq.  IOM Iraq distributed water filters, rechargeable lights, cooking stoves, gas cylinders, blankets and pillows to Syrian families who had fled to Northern Iraq’s Domiz camp, where IOM and UNHCR worked together to build a 21,000-liter water tank that would be accessible to the camp residents.

IOM provides assistance to the vulnerable displaced people of Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, including:

IOM builds shelters and distributes emergency kits in all four countries. In Nigeria alone, four transit reception structures were built to provide temporary shelter to refugees who had returned from Cameroon.

IOM distributes kits containing mats, mosquito nets, blankets, kettles, basins, laundry detergent, bathing soap, jerry cans, and sanitary pads to displaced populations. We also provide kitchen sets that include pots, serving spoons, plates, cups, spoons, and knives. In Nigeria, IOM has reached more than 330,000 people with such kits.

In order to ensure access to clean water and sanitary facilities, IOM helps with the construction of latrines and bathing spaces.  We also help with the rehabilitation of boreholes, and we provide dignity kits to women and girls.

IOM’s team provides counseling, group support, focus group discussions, and specialized mental health services. We also deploy mobile teams to carry out mental health and psychosocial support activities.

Since 2003, IOM has been dedicated to servicing the needs of the 3.3 million displaced people of Iraq.

IOM’s Mobile Medical Team conducted tests and treatment, and provided medication after the major earthquake outside Halabja. Following the Mosul crisis, we provided primary health, obstetric, gynecological and emergency care.  We also teach communities about good health practices and preventing communicable diseases.

IOM Camp Management staff oversaw registrations and prepared emergency kits in October when arrivals swelled the Haj Ali emergency site’s population to 30,156 people (6,538 families). All displaced families at Haj Ali were provided with a tent, a core relief package and access to medical services.

IOM’s Camp Management Team also assists families living in displacement sites, outside of formal camps. We have fixed windows and doors, rewired electricity, erected partitions for privacy, and rehabilitated latrines.

Through IOM’s Community Revitalization Program (CRP), we create spaces for exchanging community policing ideas and discussing security issues, and we provide equipment and light infrastructure to communities confronted by a high influx of migrants. IOM also established four community centers in Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk and Ninewa to rebuild physical infrastructure and strengthen social relations that were lost in conflict.

IOM offers help to displaced persons in Iraq, who often experience hyper-vigilance, anxiety, depression, anger, memory loss, and other conditions.

“Our priority needs to be protecting these migrants and others throughout the country, while making migration through Libya safe and regular,” said Othman Belbesi, IOM Libya Chief of Mission. “One death whether in the desert or at sea is one too many.”

IOM provides a variety of relief assistance to migrants, including the rehabilitation of detention facilities, medical assistance, and humanitarian repatriation to migrants’ home countries.  We also provide human rights training to local staff and advocate for improved longer-term assistance and protection for migrants and all other groups in the country.

IOM works to warn migrants of the dangers of putting their lives in smuggler’s hands.  For migrants stranded in Libya who wish to return home, we offer them the opportunity to do so with IOM’s assistance. This year alone, IOM has assisted well over 1,000 migrants to return to their countries of origin. IOM will soon have a network of way stations and temporary shelters linking the migrant trail from Senegal to Cameroon to offer migrants similar assistance.

IOM’s assistance to stranded migrants in Libya includes:

IOM provides emergency food rations, hygiene kits which contain soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as blankets, mattresses and pillows.

IOM medical teams offer treatment and referrals, and support for local health authorities to prevent and treat communicable diseases. Additionally, we improve living, health and sanitary conditions in detention centers, including disinfection and fumigation.

Migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea are medically screened and referred for immediate assistance.  We inform migrants about the Humanitarian Repatriation and Reintegration program, which supports returns to countries of origin, and provide training, infrastructure and equipment to the Libyan Coast Guard at three points of disembarkation in Libya.