We are delighted to introduce the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and express our gratitude for their collaboration and significant donations to the TWRC over the past one to two years!
IOM is a professional organization dedicated to migration and humanitarian affairs worldwide. It was born in 1951 as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME) to address the migration crisis in Europe following World War II. After more than half a century, it has evolved and currently consists of 173 member countries and eight observer states.
IOM continually embodies the spirit of humanitarianism, focusing on serving migrants forcibly displaced from their homes due to various natural and human-made disasters. It also promotes international cooperation on migration and migration policy. Today, IOM is committed to enhancing global understanding of migration issues, encouraging countries to achieve social and economic development through migration, and safeguarding the human dignity and well-being of migrants.
In October 2022, upon learning about the Taiwan Center’s numerous efforts and achievements in assisting refugees on the Turkey-Syria border, IOM dispatched representatives to conduct an on-site inspection. After a professional assessment, IOM recognized the critical importance of establishing an autonomous power system and generously donated a generator to help the center establish a self-sustaining power network.
Thanks to IOM’s foresight, during a critical period this year when the Taiwan Center faced a massive local earthquake, it could remain undamaged and maintain its power supply at temperatures as low as 0 degrees Celsius. It provided a safe and warm refuge for thousands of affected residents and became a temporary hub for various official and non-governmental relief organizations.
Moreover, IOM acknowledges that ensuring the education of migrant children is a top priority. “Childhood education” undoubtedly represents their greatest hope for the future. Therefore, IOM assisted the Taiwan Center in renovating two children’s reading rooms, providing a quiet reading environment for the children.
After four months of use, we carefully observed how the children at the center utilized these spaces and made some changes to make them healthier and more comfortable. The alterations include:
- Using locally sourced Turkish carpets provides a more comfortable and non-toxic soft flooring option.
- Renew the original long benches with versatile seats that allow children to move around freely. The small drawers beneath the seats provide storage space for backpacks and toys, making them readily accessible.
- Additionally, we replaced the overhead lighting with wooden fixtures, adding a warm and cozy ambiance.
All these changes provide the children with a more diverse and comfortable learning environment, allowing every child to enjoy their learning and reading time.
Nowadays, we also utilize these two spaces as language-learning classrooms for Arabic, English, and Turkish. We offer three weekly classes for each language, divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels based on the children’s proficiency.
In these classrooms, our teachers utilize “ViewSonic” smart interactive whiteboards donated by the company to make the lessons engaging and interactive, capturing the children’s attention and fostering their learning interests. These language classrooms serve for children to communicate, learn, and grow. It also promotes exchange and understanding among different cultures.
We are deeply grateful for the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) strong support and recognition of the Taiwan Center. We also thank the numerous organizations that have consistently joined us and collaborated with us. And, of course, we express our deepest gratitude to every compassionate friend in Taiwan whose generous assistance allows us to persist and continue doing what is right!
We firmly believe that every small action can become the starting point of a story, bringing hope and warmth to those in need!