In Mainé-Soroa, the arrival of internally displaced persons fleeing attacks perpetrated by non-state armed groups has affected the education sector. The primary school's reception capacity was limited, and the facility was obsolete, offering an environment to children from local communities that was not conducive to learning. In 2022, the Niger Community Cohesion Initiative (NCCI) programme renovated and equipped the primary school to improve conditions for learning and reduce the dropout rate. Ramatou, the principal of a primary school in Mainé-Soroa, a commune from the Diffa region at the heart of the Lake Chad Basin region and at the border with Nigeria, recalls what it was like before when classes were held under tents which amplified the…

Since 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has collaborated with Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) to bring community-based medical care, particularly addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV), to those fleeing violence by armed groups in the remote communes of the Diffa region in Niger. This includes the village of Toudou Wada, situated in the Mainé Soroa commune, where the mobile clinic operates six days a week. The camp is made up of around 3,100 people, including both Nigeriens and a few Nigerian refugees across 517 households that had to escape the violence at the border with Nigeria during the Lake Chad Basin crisis in 2015. The deployment of mobile clinics alleviates the strain on state health-care facilities, burdened…

In Chetimari, located in the Diffa region, in the crisis-hit Lake Chad Basin region, the UN Migration Agency supports the local integration of displaced populations. With funding from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the U.S. Department of State, IOM assisted vulnerable displaced persons and communities with transitional shelters (t-shelters) and income-generating activities (IGA). IGA revenue allows households to improve their t-shelters into a definitive structure and provide for their basic needs (food, education, health etc.).

Located in the Lake Chad Basin area of the Diffa region, the commune Gueskerou has been prone to attacks by violent extremist organizations since 2015, resulting in massive community displacement. The Gueskerou site, located near the highway 35 kilometers from Diffa city, hosts over 15,000 displaced persons and Nigerian refugees.

Operation End of the Migrant Protection Protocols program, through which asylum seekers in the United States had to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their cases, with instructions to return to US territory to attend the hearings.

A collection of stories of people who have been internally displaced around the world.

In Mid-June 2022, Pakistan witnessed extreme flooding which damaged more than 1.14 million houses and over 765,000 houses have been destroyed across the country. An estimated 33 million people across the country have been impacted by the floods.

Ethiopia has one of the world’s largest internally displaced populations, with displacement risks remaining high in 2022. IOM in Ethiopia focuses on supporting crisis-affected populations in Ethiopia, including vulnerable migrants and returnees, addressing immediate humanitarian needs, while undertaking longer-term actions to build resilience and foster sustainable peace and development.

A compilation of visibility products for IOM's 70th Anniversary. For queries, contact avteam@iom.int

Different UN agencies working in Marka Town, Lower Shabelle Region of Somalia conducted a joint visit on June 2021 to Marka hospital, a local NGO supported by the UN, Nuurto Taliyo IDP camp, and other locations. Marka Town of Marka District was recovered from Al Shabaab (extremist group) in March 2017. Certain areas of Marka District are still under Al Shabaab control and are slowly being recovered with the government and AMISOM support. IOM continues to provide community stabilization support to Marka Town and especially newly liberated locations in Marka district and other locations within Lower Shabelle Region.

A joint UN mission was conducted in Galkayo to visit, monitor and assess two IDP camps (Deegan and Somaliweyn ) and a hospital supported by UN agencies. Increase in IDPs population over last 3 months is attributed to armed conflict and drought.

Documentation of IOM programmatic works in Nigeria in the time of COVID-19 pandemic. (Please find more information in the individual photos and videos)

Home to 7.2 million people as well as over 800 spoken languages, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country that ranges greatly in traditions, lifestyles, agriculture, transportation, and local markets. One of the country’s strongest traits is that of tradition and the knowledge and values that is passed down from generation to generation. Over the centuries, humans have been faced with various types of hazards, most of which turned into disasters. For many living in the Pacific nation, disasters are simply a fact of life in both natural and man-made varieties. Additionally, PNG ranks in among the top 6 nations worldwide with having the highest percentage of its population exposed to a multitude of hazards. To make matters worse, large swaths of the…

Category Five Hurricane Dorian was the worst disaster to ever hit landfall in the Bahamas. The storm struck in August 2019 and affected more than 70,000 people. As residents of the hurricane-struck island of Abaco begin to return and rebuild their homes, IOM is working with the government and partners to help remove debris, assess and track the needs of affected populations and search for dignified housing solutions for the displaced.

South Sudan Shelter and Non-Food Items (S-NFI) Cluster partners International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH), together with IOM Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming worked hand in hand during a joint distribution of S-NFI and WASH materials in Pieri payam, Uror County in Jonglei State, South Sudan. The response was conducted from 14 – 21 September 2018 and reached a total of 500 households from five bomas within Pieri. Both S-NFI and WASH items were distributed including blanket, mosquito net, sleeping mat and kanga for S-NFIs; and bucket with tap, bucket without tap, collapsible jerry can, soap, and hygiene kit for WASH items. The distribution ran for two days dedicating the first day to…

At 16, Mariam suffered a marriage arranged by her family following the death of her father. When I left home, newly married, I was only a child who was afraid. Mariam left her country, Sierra Leone, to follow her husband who wanted to leave for Mauritania. After 16 years, she decided to go back in Sierra Leone with her two daughters.

Lost in Mauritania, a small group of unaccompanied minors returned to their home country ‘Sierra Leone’. IOM country offices in Mauritania and Sierra Leone collaborated under a family-tracing program to locate the children’s’ families whereabouts. After a long journey by plane, by boat and by bus the children were able to rejoin their families accompanied by IOM workers. Their return was possible thanks to the efforts of diplomats and consulates from the both countries.

The exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (GP20) and features personal stories from displaced people. ‘Holding On’ exhibition showcases the stories of internally displaced people by asking them to reflect on their most cherished possessions. The items that displaced people carry with them when they have to leave their homes often become physical representations of a world that has since disappeared. For many, they represent a promise of return. A key, a shirt or a photo can now serve both as a symbol of struggle and a beacon of hope. Using virtual reality technology, attendees will be able to enter the “makeshift” homes and communities of internally displaced individuals to watch them share…

From April-June 2018, some 970,000 people were internally displaced in Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone (SNNPR Region) and West Guji (Oromia Region) due to inter-communal conflict.

Locals and IDPs in Pulka enjoy a brief but much needed spell of rain at the tail end of the harmatan season. IDPs here in Bakassi and Pulka come from surrounding villages razed by Boko Haram.

IOM S/NFI team, in coordination with CCCM and WaSH, implemented a comprehensive rehabilitation of Wau PoC site with the objective of enhancing the site with more equitable access to services, balanced dispersion of IDPs, and reduce congestion of makeshift shelters. Shelter designs were adapted considering specific situations and space availability. IOM S/NFI team has given special attention to ensure structural quality and to prolong life span of shelters. A total of 622 communal shelters were constructed benefiting of 35,303 individuals in Wau PoC Site.

The ongoing crisis in South Sudan is in its fifth year with no clear signs of abating, resulting in protracted or multiple displacement with communities receiving aid several times. Thus, IOM explored other modalities of assistance beyond in-kind interventions. As a response modality, a resilience-based approach centered on community participation through CBI was implemented in 2017. As part of this, the installation of shelter upgrades project was implemented in Wau Protection of Civilians (PoC) site involving the community, including local traders, following with gender-responsive skills training and using locally available sources. A total of 800 communal shelters were upgraded by beneficiaries and benefitted 22,579 individuals

The ongoing crisis in South Sudan is in its fifth year with no clear signs of abating, resulting in protracted or multiple displacement with communities receiving aid several times. Thus, IOM explored other modalities of assistance beyond in-kind interventions. As a response modality, a resilience-based approach cantered on community participation through CBI was implemented in 2017. As part of this, the construction of Fuel-Efficient Stoves (FES) project was implemented in Bentiu Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in South Sudan involving the community, including local traders, following with gender-responsive skills training and using locally available sources. A total of 11,180 stoves were constructed by beneficiaries and benefitted 100,620…

After months of devastating conflict, Marawi’s displaced families finally return home.

In 2013, the whole country had watched as an armed group attacked Zamboanga City. The resulting fighting between the group and government forces lasted for almost three weeks with more than 200 of the group killed and the rest detained. The Zamboanga siege also displaced more than 100,000 residents, creating a humanitarian crisis that has taken years to address. At the onset of the siege, the elementary school in Barangay Santa Barbara was taken over by the armed group which made it its base during the siege. The school became the place where they slept, ate and hid. Shockingly, it also became a killing ground. At first glance, you would never think this building was once part of a school. A safe space where children learn, play and pray.…

Half of the displaced Iraqis at Haj and Qayara emergency sites are under the age of 17. They did not have enough recreational spaces to release stress and frustration caused by displacement. Thanks to our US-based partner, IOM Iraq was able to construct playgrounds at both sites that include football and volleyball pitches. At the inauguration on 10 September 2017, little girls played obstacle races while boys played football.

“The war has prevented us from loving (ourselves)” – LGBTI conflict victim During the armed conflict, armed groups targeted specific populations because of personal characteristics like age, ethnicity, class, and gender. This was especially the case for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community. Their rights unrecognized, LGBTI people were targeted by both legal and illegal armed actors. Sexual orientation and gender identity were impetuses for violence. LGBTI people have been denied the possibility to openly love their partners and express themselves because of the fear that they would be killed. Under the civil war’s violence, LGBTI people have been the targets of symbolic violence, torture, sexual violence,…

IOM's psychosocial centers organize recreational activities to help the displaced Iraqis cope with their new lives, alleviate stress and help IDP children to increase their resilience.

IOM Director General William Lacy Swing spent three days meeting with some of the internally displaced at camps and in communities in the hardest hit areas of Borno state, the epicentre of the conflict, now in its eighth year.

People of West Mosul has suffered serious injuries. But it is not the injuries that shock, but their stories before reaching safety. Many of these Iraqis from West Mosul are being cared for at IOM's field hospital in Hammam al-Alil town, south east of Mosul where dozens of trauma cases are being treated every week.

The military crisis may be over in Mosul city, but the humanitarian calamity continues. To help people return, the city needs tremendous humanitarian assistance. Massive destruction meets the eye across West Mosul

Hammam Al-Alil Transition Zone, south east of Mosul city, became a major hub for displaced Iraqis from Mosul as the Iraqi forces pushed deeper into West Mosul. IDPs would be brought here by buses where they went through screening and receiving primary assistance such as health care support, food and water. They would then be transported in buses toother areas around the city that could shelter them, be it a camp, and emergency site, or other safe areas in the liberated East Mosul where the IDPs had relatives that could take them in.

IOM activities and operations within Maiduguri, Nigeria

IOM provides medical care to IDPs at a temporary clinic in South Sudan

British photographer Ben Robinson visited Zhytomyr with IOM’s team to meet the IDPs and tell the world their story. Here are the results of this project.