The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) published today its Annual Report 2015, together with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Performance Report 2015. The Annual Report 2015 highlights ICMC’s activities and achievements during the past year, which witnessed a number of dramatic developments in migration and refugee movements, particularly from the Middle East.
As Program Manager, Shahan facilitates and assists in the development and implementation of all ICMC’s activities in Pakistan. With programs in several districts, ICMC provides assistance to refugees and other vulnerable individuals through several projects aimed at protecting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGVB), improving livelihoods, and rehabilitating governmental schools.
Noor* is a Syrian refugee woman living in a city in Northern Jordan together with her nine children: six boys and three girls. Noor fled Homs, her home town, three years ago with her husband and children. Shortly after their arrival, her husband – who had been working illegally in Jordan – was caught by the police and deported back to Syria. Since then, Noor has been raising her children on her own. The youngest of them is less than one year old.
On 15 January, ICMC Malaysia presented to local partners and to UNHCR’s staff a new audio tool which aims to improve the reach of awareness-raising activities among the local Rohingya refugees. Saved in a small MP3 player, the audio file is to be distributed to the refugees, who will be able to access the recording whenever desired.
Hisham Ababneh works as Project Officer at the ICMC office in Irbid, in Northern Jordan. As part of his duties, Hisham coordinates the field visits of ICMC’s caseworkers, who identify vulnerable Syrian and Jordanian families and refer them to ICMC for assistance. He is also responsible for overseeing all identification activities and ensuring the quality of service provision.
ICMC Jordan started this week its annual distribution of essential winter items, which will help Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanian households get through the cold winter months. The ICMC staff distributed heaters, gas cylinders, gas refill vouchers, and blankets to 135 households in Al Ruwaished, a remote town in north-eastern Jordan, 75 kilometres from the Iraqi border.
During a follow up visit to a Syrian refugee family living in Northern Jordan, ICMC’s staff discussed with the family members about the violent attacks which took place in Paris last Saturday. The head of the family, a middle-aged Syrian lady called Zeinah, shared her impressions. “I feel devastated about the news. But why do people blame refugees for what happened? We have nothing to do with that. We are horrified, like everyone else”, she commented.
As part of an official visit to Jordan, the European Union Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides visited yesterday a project managed by the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) in Northern Jordan and funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO).
The International Catholic Migration Commission released today its 2014 Annual Report, which outlines the main achievements of the past year in the areas of protection and prevention, humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and migration and development and gives an overview of the activities ICMC is currently developing.
Jason Bell is a child protection expert working within the framework of the ICMC-UNHCR Resettlement Deployment Scheme. Originally from the United States, Jason has been working with refugees since 2003, in reception facilities in the United States, as well as in Malawi and Kenya. Jason has joined ICMC as a Best Interest Determination Specialist in 2011. He is currently based in the UNHCR sub-office in Shire, Ethiopia.
