Alexandria, 17 September 2020 - In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, IOM Egypt continues to distribute food baskets to vulnerable migrants in Alexandria. Many of these migrants were already vulnerable prior to the pandemic and have lost their source of income due the lockdown. 

This distribution is a part of the ongoing #WeCare campaign, providing 200 food baskets to the Syrian community, bringing the total of food baskets distributed to 1821. Next week, another distribution is planned to distribute food baskets to Egyptian returnees in Alexandria.

This distribution is in cooperation with Soryana-Alexandria. Soryana is a training and human resource development center registered through the Ministry of Investment. It is considered the first training center established by a member of the refugee and migrant community in Egypt. Soryana enhances the effective role of women in society, not only because it is primarily established and run by women, but also because Soryana’s interests are based on current needs of family members in the private and public spheres.

Soryana’s activities and trainings cover but are not limited to the following areas:

• Prevention of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV).
• Psychosocial support through psychodrama, art therapy and psychosocial group sessions.
• Vocational training catering to the job market in terms of enhancing capacities and skills.
• Business trainings on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in management, planning, marketing, and finance.
• Child educational services through camps and workshops.
• Medical convoys through public health awareness and medical interventions in some cases. 

These non-food items (NFIs) and food baskets are funded by the Government of Denmark, which continues to support migrants, and host communities in Egypt. 

The Organization is committed to supporting migrants during this pandemic, who are hardest hit due to loss of income, discrimination, and stigma. 

This initiative is part of IOM’s COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan developed to protect the most vulnerable migrants and in line with United Nations’ SDGs, namely Goal 1: End poverty and Goal 10: Reduced inequalities. It is 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 Wigdan Mohamad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +20 1012 428  527, Email: wimohamad@iom.int