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.

Given the increased flow of migrants in transit through Honduras, IOM conducted a monitoring visit to identify needs and provide timely humanitarian response.

Donations of supplies and reinforcement of shelters for benefit of migrants.

People in shelters due to their migratory route or the effects of climate change in Honduras.

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 compilation of images captured on Mexico's northern border with the United States during the process of finalizing Title 42 in the states of Baja California and Mexico, offering a visual view of events in this border region.

Three hundred and thirty-seven people, including 121 children, arrived in Toronto, Canada, accompanied by three IOM escorts. IOM assisted the resettlement of 20,000 Afghan refugees to Canada since August 2021. IOM’s longstanding partnerships with the Government of Canada have seen the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the recent past, and the Organization will continue to collaborate with its partners globally to support Canada’s commitment to accept at least 40,000 Afghan refugees.

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.

IOM and the European Union rehabilitated and upgraded 32 public infrastructure sites including water and sanitation sites, schools and health facilities, benefitting more than 650,000 people in Ma’rib and Lahj governorates in Yemen.

IOM and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center rehabilitated or built 15 schools across Yemen to give conflict-affected children a brighter future

IOM’s response to migrants in need of assistance in Yemen.

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.

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)

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

When people go missing on migration journeys, their disappearance has reverberating effects on their families and communities left behind. In 2019-2020, IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) and a team of independent researchers carried out a project in Ethiopia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe with the aim of learning how people with missing migrant relatives cope with the absence of their loved ones while actively seeking answers, and how they could be better supported in their efforts by governments and other actors. 

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…

A collection of humanitarian activities by IOM colleagues around the world responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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.

On 23 March 2019, a joint monitoring mission led by the Ministry of Interior of Jubaland State Government with participants from various line ministries and MOIFAR was conducted in Kismayo to monitor three Midnimo projects (2 schools and 1 market shed). The monitoring team first visited Gulwade Primary and Secondary School where five latrines as well as three rooms were constructed in December 2017 used as common facility: an examiner›s room, kitchen, and storage. The team also visited Aqoon Bile Primary School, which was constructed in February 2018 and opened in March 2018. Prior to the construction of this school, Aqoon School had two campuses in different locations. One was right outside the school which was comprised of two structures…

The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is fuelled by multiple armed conflicts that have displaced more than 4.8 million people across the country. Nearly 13 million people are in in need of humanitarian assistance. The population also suffers from the world’s second largest food crisis, after Yemen, with 13 million people classified as food insecure.

Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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…

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…

IOM Global Solar Lantern Initiative

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

Stories and Dreams of Conflict-displaced Children

On 1 December, a group of 16 Rohingya refugees met with Pope Francis in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka. IOM, the UN Migration Agency worked with community leaders in the refugee settlements to identify a group to represent the Rohingya in the meeting with the pontiff. Caritas, a confederation of Catholic relief organizations, organized the group’s travel to Dhaka, as well as, their meeting with the Pope.