Alexandria, 24 September - As IOM Egypt continues to provide food, financial, medical, and housing assistance to migrants, the Organization additionally arranged an awareness session for the Filipino community at Sacre Coeur Church in Alexandria to educate migrants on the different types of assistance that IOM Egypt provides.

During the government-imposed complete lockdown in previous months, IOM Egypt organized three virtual awareness raising sessions for the community, which were held at Sacre Coeur Church, but as restrictions gradually eased, the sessions were presented live, with staff distributing facemasks and hand sanitizers to the migrants and maintaining strict social distancing rules.

IOM Egypt presented a detailed session on COVID-19, and how to protect oneself from COVID-19 by maintaining proper hygiene, followed by a Q&A session where questions were raised by the migrants related to the pandemic. Following the session, IOM Egypt screened 30 cases and assessed the physical and mental wellbeing of the migrants.

The Organization is committed to supporting migrants during this pandemic, who are hardest hit due to loss of income, lack of access to social services, 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 3: Good Health and Well-being 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