Haiti /Dominican Republic – IOM is today providing voluntary return assistance, in coordination with the Dominican and Haitian authorities, to more than 300 vulnerable Haitian migrants living in the Dominican Republic who wish to return to their communities in Haiti.

Today’s group of 308 returnees, who have been in the Dominican Republic for an average of 5 years, are returning to their places of origin in the northern Haitian towns of Cap Haitien, Fort Liberté, Limbe, Milot Pilate, and Plaisance. They will be escorted by IOM staff and government migration officials.

The IOM Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) Program in the Dominican Republic began in 2009 and is funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM.)

It has registered over 4,000 Haitian citizens living in the Dominican Republic and helped 2,943 to return. Some were in the Dominican Republic as a result of the 2010 earthquake. Others had stayed in the country longer, but decided to return home and rebuild their lives with the reintegration package provided by IOM and its partners.

On the day of return, IOM provides transportation to each returnee’s place of origin and assistance in clearing customs and border controls.  It also gives each returnee a cash stipend of US$ 50 for initial costs and US$65 for each child is given to the mother. Awareness raising materials on cholera-prevention, soap, hygiene items and drinking water is also provided.

IOM is including this year a new vocational training component provided to AVRR applicants prior to their return that seeks to help them to generate new sources of income. For this group, IOM is working with the Jesuit organisation CEFASA to provide training in plumbing, electrical engineering, manufacture of cleaning products and jewellery production.

Haitians migrants who have chosen to return to their country of origin asked IOM for assistance for a variety of reasons. These include poor job prospects, language barriers, lack of food security and lack of access to health and education for their children.

Silvana, 18, was alone and had no job. “I came to the Dominican Republic on foot with a cousin when I was 13. My cousin moved away, and so after three months and no job I was forced to move in with a man. I didn’t want to do that, but I had no food to eat. Now I just want to go home,” she said.

Once in Haiti, the migrants returning today will receive reintegration assistance from the Sisters of Saint John. This will include training on how to start a small business, grants for small business development and ongoing monitoring and support for up to three-months.

Although IOM cannot confirm the total number of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, the Haitian migrant population is estimated at approximately one million.

For more information, please contact Jean-Philippe Antolin, IOM Santo Domingo, Tel: 809 688 8174, Email jantolin@iom.int