To join in the celebrations of the 2015 International Migrants Day, IOM Sudan staff organized a small gathering in the newly opened Migrant Resource and Response Center (MRRC) in Khartoum on the 15th of December, in anticipation to events to mark the International Migrants Day at the Ahfad University for Women and Nyala University on the 18th. The gathering at the MRRC was attended by Ethiopian, Eritrean and Nigerian migrants and community leaders as well as students from migrant schools in Khartoum. The activities included the launching of a film produced by IOM Sudan's Migration Management Unit giving an insight to some migrants’ experience in Sudan. Participants also shared their own experiences as migrants and how they were able to help their families financially and adapt to the new culture.

The Migrant Resource and Response Center (MRRC) was established by IOM in Khartoum in October 2015, with support from the Norway Ministry of Justice. The centre, first of its kind in Sudan, provides migrants with medical assistance, counselling, information on the risks of irregular migration, and facilitates assisted voluntary return and reintegration to countries of origin. Globally, IOM has been involved in the establishment and running of various centres of this kind, each providing a “one-stop shop” for information and services for migrants in both source and host countries. Adapted to the specific national contexts, these centres take on different functions, involving a variety of actors and serving a multitude of objectives. The Khartoum MRRC will enable IOM not only to continue providing immediate information and support services to migrants and to host events gatherings such as the one to mark the International Migrants Day, but also to further develop the concept of the MRRC in the Sudan context in view of replicating it in different parts of the country.

The MRRC currently has the following activities:

1. Screening of victims of trafficking (VOTs) and referral to appropriate services Provision of counselling and medical assistance to VOTs and other vulnerable migrants Raising awareness on the risk and dangers of irregular migration and enhancing the role of community leaders in preventing irregular migration through outreach. Providing Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) for vulnerable migrants when applicable. Working jointly with other organizations and introducing to migrants the services available through information and referral, where applicable. Conducting cultural orientation sessions for refugees as part of IOM Sudan's Resettlement programme. Referral for legal assistance through other NGOs (planned).

For more details about the MRRC please contact: Pooja BHALLA Programme Coordinator or Sudan Migration Management

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