IOM Appeals for US$ 303 Million for 2013 Humanitarian Projects
In order to implement various humanitarian emergency projects, some of which were initiated in 2012, IOM is appealing to donors for US$ 303 million for humanitarian projects in 2013.
IOM is the global lead agency for Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster in natural disasters. It is also the lead agency for the Shelter cluster in a half dozen countries, as well as a key actor in other clusters.
The IOM Humanitarian Compendium 2013 is seeking the funds to complete emergency projects in 16 countries including Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Mali, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Among the major projects, some US$ 60 million is needed to assist the safe and dignified return of 300,000 South Sudanese who are still in the Republic of Sudan. The money will also provide life-saving primary health care services to the returnees and the communities to which they return.
South Sudan has some of the worst health indicators in the world. Less than 20% of the population has access to primary health care services. The money will also go towards providing shelter and essential non-food relief items, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH.)
In Yemen, IOM is seeking US$ 38 million to continue to help thousands of stranded vulnerable migrants from the Horn of Africa to voluntarily return home. Most arrived in the country after a hazardous journey across the Gulf of Aden. The funds will also go towards helping the most vulnerable and rebuilding livelihoods in Yemen’s war-torn Abyan and al-Jawf governorates.
In Kenya, the Organization is seeking US$ 35 million to provide shelter, non-food relief items and health assistance to some 473,000 Somali refugees sheltering at the Daadab refugee camp, the largest in the world. It will also help another 300,000 Kenyans who are internally displaced because of natural disasters and inter-ethnic conflict.
Part of the money will also go towards projects aimed at strengthening the resilience of the pastoral and host communities in northern Kenya, whose livelihoods have been severely affected by the influx of refugees and long drought spells.
Another major tranche of the funding will go towards the provision of emergency aid to civilians engulfed in the Syrian crisis. IOM is seeking US$ 36 million to continue to provide non-food items (NFIs) to growing numbers of internally displaced Syrians.
According to UNHCR, there are now in excess of two million Syrian civilians in urgent need of NFI aid. IOM has stepped up its distribution of NFIs and winterization kits to Syrian civilians in Syria and Lebanon.
IOM also needs funding for the evacuation of vulnerable migrant workers in Syria. Since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011, IOM has helped some 3,300 vulnerable migrants from 36 countries to safely return home.
Other on-going projects linked to the Syrian crisis include transport assistance for refugees entering Jordan to reach the Za’tri refugee camp, and construction and rehabilitation of emergency shelters , health care assistance and psychosocial support for refugees in Lebanon.
In Haiti, US$ 18.5 million is needed to continue to provide rental subsidies that allow internally displaced families to leave over-crowded camps and move into rented accommodation to restart their lives three years after the devastating earthquake of January, 2010.
The money will be also used to provide WASH services to prevent the spread of cholera and other communicable diseases.
The IOM Humanitarian Compendium 2013 can be downloaded here