Cairo, 20 December 2018 - Under the auspices of the National Coordinating Committee on Combatting and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP), IOM and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) celebrated the implementation of the Community Outreach Programme on Irregular Migration. The programme raised awareness about the risks of irregular migration among children aged 12-18 in the six highest sending Governorates of irregular migrants, as identified by NCCPIM&TIP: Kafr Elsheikh, Behaira, Dakahleya, Gharbeya, Fayoum and Assiut.

During the programme implementation, six Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops were provided to 141 community ambassadors from five ministries (of Culture, Endowment, Education and Technical Education, Social Solidarity and Youth & Sports) on the utilization of customized interactive edu-tainment toolkits to raise awareness among youth.  The community ambassadors facilitated awareness raising sessions for 720 children. In the final phase, the children were engaged in 12 interactive plays, highlighting the risks of irregular migration and positive life alternatives.

The closing event of the programme included a theatrical performance by a group of children from the six target governorates who performed in front of national and international stakeholders, highlighting the messages of the campaign.

In their opening remarks, all the programme’s stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation and working with children at risk of irregular migration. Moreover, stakeholders emphasized on the importance of the programme’s sustainability. 

“This is not the end of this initiative, but it is the beginning, our aim is to reach all children at risk of irregular migration” said Mr. Laurent De Boeck, IOM’s Chief of Mission to the Arab Republic of Egypt

This programme was made possible by thesupport of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of the United Kingdom.

The programme contributes to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGsnumber 10: Reduced Inequalities and17: Partnerships for the Goals. It’s also in-line with the objectives of Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS): Vision 2030, particularly its social justice pillar.

For more information, please contact Omar Awwad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +2 02 2736 5140/1 Email: oawwad@iom.int