2016-08-04 12:00:00

ICMC supports thousands fleeing from Syrian conflict


(Vatican Radio) Caring for millions of migrants on the move, within their own countries or forced to flee their native lands. That’s the mission of the Geneva based International Catholic Migration Commission, or ICMC, founded in 1951 as a response to the massive human displacement caused by the Second World War.

The Commission’s new secretary general, Mgr Robert Vitillo was in Rome last week, together with other staff members to present their 2015 annual report focused on the practical assistance, resettlement programmes and policy work carried out, especially in response to the conflicts in the Middle East.

To find out more about the kind of support the ICMC provides, particularly to families uprooted by the war in Syria, Philippa Hitchen spoke to operations director, Walter Brill and to senior operations officer Cristina Palazzo….

Listen: 

Brill says the ICMC has been working for many years in Syria, in close collaboration with a local partner, Terre des Hommes Syria. He talks about the difficulties for those working in the war torn country, including shelling, water shortages, power cuts and road blocks which hamper access to beneficiaries.

Cristina Palazzo explains what kind of assistance is provided for Internally Displaced People, including mattresses,heaters and other items to help people survive the cold winter months, money to help them pay rents and health care, especially pre and post-natal care for pregnant women and their babies. She says the ICMC reaches between 10.000 and 20.000 internally displaced people or refugees, both in Syrian and the surrounding countries.

Brill also talks about the resettlement work coordinated by a regional director in Istanbul, despite the difficulties caused by the recent attempted coup in Turkey. He says last year some 5.000 people were resettled to the United States and the ICMC hopes to increase that number this year, despite the tightening security vetting and negative perception of refugees that comes as a result of the recent terror attacks. 








All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.