Cairo, 29 December 2016 - IOM, in collaboration with Tadamon, the Egyptian Refugee Multicultural Council and Tawasol organized a community event for migrant and Egyptian communities in 6th of October district to promote diversity and social cohesion in the neighbourhood.

The event brought together more than 600 Egyptians and migrants mainly from the Syrian and Sudanese communities. It featured music and dancing performances from the different communities, a handicraft bazar, as well as an IOM-sponsored food fayre representing the different migrant cuisines. 

IOM also collaborated with Tawasol, an Egyptian start-up that tailors team-building games that promote integration and social cohesion for children of different backgrounds.

In addition to the fun activities, IOM conducted several awareness raising sessions on general health and nutrition. A Syrian medical team also volunteered to conduct general screenings for all attendees who had medical inquiries.

“We had a lot of fun today. Although we live in the same neighbourhood, I rarely had the chance to mingle with non-Egyptians. Today, I really enjoyed the Sudanese band and got to meet new people,” said Nour, one of the Syrian attendees.

The event marks the first of a series of community events outside of the heart of Cairo to promote social cohesion among the different migrant communities and Egyptians. The series of events are part of a more extensive programme falling under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan for Syria (3RP) funded by the US Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). 

The 3RP programme aims at providing social assistance to Syrians in Egypt and host communities in order to ameliorate their living conditions, increase social cohesion, resilience, and ultimately prevent irregular and unsafe migration.

For further information, please contact Teuta Grazhdani at IOM Egypt. Tel: +202-27365140, Email: iomegypt@iom.int