Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen has visited IOM’s “community conversations” project in Hitsase camp in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The scheme is aimed at curbing secondary movements of Eritrean refugees from the camp.

The delegation, comprising the Minister, the Dutch Ambassador to Ethiopia and other high-level officials, as well as Dutch journalists, met the project facilitators and camp central committee members.

The refugees explained how the existing dire situation in Eritrea forced them to leave the country and seek refuge in Ethiopia.  They discussed living conditions in the camp and how they see the future.

They also explained how secondary movement to places like Europe is becoming increasing appealing to refugees, but resulting in more lives lost.

The project facilitators explained how they try to persuade people not to leave through awareness raising and behavior change communication. Artistic media, such as theatre, drama and music are used to appeal to the refugees.

Delegates were also briefed on other IOM community conversation interventions held in different regions in Ethiopia. Other activities conducted by IOM in refugee camps include peer education, music concerts, and sporting events targeting refugees and host communities, as well as capacity building workshops targeting law enforcement agencies.

IOM highlighted its avoidance of ‘scare tactics,’ focusing instead on communicating messages from a positive angle. This positive approach aims to give hope, without distorting facts and compromising information on the risks and dangers of irregular migration.

Minster Ploumen expressed her appreciation of the Ethiopian government’s open door policy and the generosity of Ethiopian communities in hosting refugees from neighboring countries – notably Eritrea and South Sudan. She said that the Netherlands will strengthen its partnership with the Government of Ethiopia to address the challenges of irregular migration, and will continue to closely work with IOM and its partners to support Eritrean refugees through education and livelihood programs.

For further information, please contact Alemayehu Seifeselassie at IOM Ethiopia, Tel: +251.91.163.9082, Email:salemayehu@iom.int