What was once a vibrant Afghan community has become a ghost town, with hundreds of families forced to leave behind their homes, land, crops, livestock and dreams.
IOM
In her role as a Protection staff member with the International Organization for Migration (), Latifa dedicates herself every day to supporting vulnerable communities in Yemen.
On June 10, 2024, a boat capsized off Yemen's coast near Shabwah, resulting in 56 deaths and 129 missing migrants, with Dr. Abdulraheem Al Mehdar of the IOM heroically leading rescue efforts.
The evidence is pretty overwhelming that it doesn't even take very long for migration to actually pay out pretty significantly for the communities who host the migrants, and definitely for the communities that migrants are coming from.
Amy Pope has always championed humane and orderly migration as an opportunity for societies, not a problem. Now the first female Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) she is campaigning for a fundamental shift in attitudes towards newcomers.
You just give somebody a little space. Everybody has purpose. Everybody has dreams, everybody wants to be seen.
Human migration is likely to rise over the coming decades, with the IOM predicting that hundreds of millions of people could be displaced due to climate change alone. In this episode, Amy reflects on how better to prepare communities and why celebrating the contributions of migrants is a win-win for societies around the world.
Photo:穢IOM 2024/ Muse Mohammed
Frederick's journey highlights the harsh realities faced by migrants, but through a program by , he and others like him receive comprehensive support to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
In her coastal home in Mokha, Zahara is busy cooking and caring for her husband, who is in frail health, and her extended family. Zahara's family, along with three other households, is a close-knit community united by family ties and mutual support. Over a year ago, the International Organization for Migration () provided them with a new transitional shelter that provides physical protection, security, and privacy. With their new shelter, they have found a haven from Mokha's strong winds and torrential floods, as well as the privacy they have longed for amid the bustling life of communal living.
Globalizate Radio serves as a crucial lifeline for Venezuelan migrants in the Dominican Republic, offering essential information, community support, and a platform to challenge stereotypes and promote unity.
As of 20 April 2024, the International Organization for Migration () and the UN Refugee Agency () in Pakistan that over 550,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan under coercive conditions since last September. Over 31,000 Afghans were detained in Pakistan during the same period. Afghanistan will struggle to absorb the high number of returnees. IOM provides legal aid to displaced Afghans while leading a border consortium of humanitarian partners. The Organization calls for countries to halt forced returns until safe, dignified, and voluntary returns are ensured.
A group of 30 Venezuelan migrants traveled 120 kilometers m from Chile's capital, Santiago to El Olivar, a neighborhood consumed by the flames on the outskirts of Vi簽a del Mar, to help those who lost everything in a disastrous forest fire. They brought food, water, products for newborns, and personal hygiene supplies. They mobilized professionals like doctors, social workers, and psychologists to assist the affected. Ra繳l Sempr繳n, a Venezuelan journalist, and founder of Cr籀nicas de Chile organized the operation as a way to give back to the country that welcomed them as a second home.
Over the past 13 years, conflict has ravaged Northwest Syria, leaving scars on both the land and its people. In February 2023, after earthquakes dealt a further blow, crippling vital water infrastructure, residents of camps in the northwest faced prolonged water shortages due to damage sustained by a crucial elevated water tank. However, the International Organization for Migration () managed to reconstruct three elevated water tanks, restoring access to safe and clean water for over 67,500 earthquake-affected communities.
Musa and his family are forced to migrate due to climate change-induced drought, highlighting the urgent need for global climate action.
Women and girls were disproportionately affected by the devastating floods that hit Pakistan in 2022. Nisha, a seven-year-old girl from the Mirpurkhas District of Sindh, had to endure months of displacement and walk several miles every day to access clean water after her home and latrines were destroyed. Sampa, a 55-year-old widow, fell ill after drinking contaminated water during the floods. With the responsibility of caring for her ten-year-old child, she struggled to fetch water daily in the scorching heat. The efforts by the International Organization for Migration ) to construct latrines, handwashing stations, and lead-line hand pumps in Nisha and Sampa's villages brought relief and improved access to clean water and hygiene services.
Amidst Yemen's conflict, community-led water projects are revitalizing communities and providing essential access to clean water, transforming lives and easing burdens for millions.
Tahani lived in a small village in Yemen and believed her role was limited to managing the household. After marrying, she left her village due to the country's decade-long conflict, and the new couple moved to a displacement site in central Yemen, where she became pregnant, but her daughter died due to lack of medical care. Shatha, who worked for the International Organization for Migration (), met Tahani and encouraged her to join a workshop where she discovered her talent for making accessories. Tahani has built a small business and is now able to earn an income and support her family.
Over the past two decades, protracted conflicts, humanitarian needs, increasing frequency of disease outbreaks and heightened geopolitical tensions have continued to proliferate. Emerging crises add to the complexity of humanitarian needs. The International Organization for Migration () prioritizes the safety and protection of people in challenging crisis response contexts. The first-ever aims to serve almost 140 million people, including internally displaced persons and their host communities. Take a look at the images associated with seven of the world's most challenging crisis contexts.