Honduras: IOM provides important donations for the attention of migrants

Tegucigalpa, 09 June 2020 - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) donated furniture and hygiene kits to strengthen the care provided to migrants in the Centers for the Care of Irregular Migrants (CAMI), located in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and Choluteca. These centers are managed by the National Migration Institute (INM). The donation includes two washing machines, two dryers, 200 towels and shower curtains, among other products.

"The strengthening of the CAMIs began in 2019, when we supported them with the purchase of medicines and the hiring of a medic for the CAMI in Choluteca, a place that registers a high flow of regional and extra-continental migrants in transit to the north," explained Likza Salazar, IOM's officer in charge in Honduras, during the donation ceremony. "This year we have continued to support the position of the physician and other needs identified by the INM," she added.

In addition to strengthening the CAMIs, IOM contributed by hiring staff for the call center that provides information on the services of the National Institute of Migration, with a new donation of computers and professional licenses. The same support was given for the Migration Statistics Center, a virtual platform that will allow to observe the migration phenomenon in Honduras. In both cases, this donation will enable the INM to continue providing the service in the form of remote work.

The total amount of donations made to both the CAMI and the call center and the Migratory Statistics Center exceeds 2,240,000 lempiras.  

In the current emergency context, IOM has provided supplies and technical assistance to the Government, which has served to strengthen the capacities of the centers for migrants for preventing infection and protecting their health. On this occasion, personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, gowns, glasses and caps, among others) was also donated to protect the health of both the migrants and the staff who care for them.

"At this time, with what the world and Honduras is experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to providing humanitarian assistance to ensure the well-being and physical integrity and health, of both the migrant population in an irregular situation and the staff of the institution who are in the front line of attention in the Migrant Delegations at the national level," said Wilfredo Calderón, deputy director of the INM.

This collaboration was provided within the framework of the Regional Program on Mesoamerican-Caribbean Migration, funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).