GRODNO, 9 December (BelTA) - A batch of humanitarian aid from the International Organization for Migration was delivered to the temporary accommodation center for refugees near the Bruzgi border checkpoint on the Belarus-EU border on 9 December, BelTA has learned.
The cargo includes food for a week for 1,500 people. IOM representatives also talked with refugees and discussed their situation with them.
"We are thankful to the Belarusian government for all the assistance they provide to refugees. We are working very closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs," said Mohamed Refaat. Senior Operations Coordinator, Department of Operations and Emergency at IOM. He stressed that in terms of assistance, IOM works with refugees in two directions, one of them is humanitarian assistance.
"The second direction is the program of voluntary assistance to return to the homeland. In this regard, we are working closely with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The program includes not only return home but also a reintegration package. Many people have complained that they have nothing at home, and therefore we provide this package," Mohamed Refaat said. According to him, several refugees expressed a desire to return to their homeland as they talked with IOM representatives today.
