The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency donated Motorbikes to the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, yesterday, 09 July 2020.

This donation of two motorbikes is made in response to needs identified through assessments carried out at Port of Entries (PoEs) by IOM in Zanzibar following COVID-19 pandemic recently thanks to funding to the United States Resettlement Admission Programme (USRAP) funded by the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (BPRM) from the United States of America (USA).

The MoH was represented in the event  by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the MoH, Ms. Halima Maulid Salum and the Director of Health Promotion and Preventive Services, Dr Fadhil Mohamad Abdalla. Also the Minister of Health himself, Hon. Mr. Hamad Rashid Mohamed joined the event.

While IOM was represented in the event by the IOM Chief of Mission (CoM) in the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Qasim Sufi accompanied by Ms. Dorothy Temu-Usiri, the UN Area Coordinator in Zanzibar and other colleagues from IOM and the UN in Zanzibar and in Dar Es Dar Es Salaam.

Speaking at the event and while thanking IOM, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the MoH, Ms. Halima Maulid Salim said that, “Motorbikes are the right means of transport for the MoH’s personnel to access remote areas with narrow roads for the purpose of surveillance of communicable diseases including COVID-19".

“IOM as the UN Migration Agency and as a member of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in the United Republic of Tanzania that is delivering as one stands ready to provide support where possible”, said Dr Qasim Sufi, the IOM CoM to the United Republic of Tanzania.

IOM is one of the ten UN agencies resident in Zanzibar that are jointly implementing the Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP) which is the product of the UN Development Assistance Plan, UNDAP II 2016 – 2021.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Sarah Abdalla at sabdallah@iom.int or telephone +255 625 998 823 and

Ms. Halima Sonda at hsonda@iom.int or telephone +255 699 699 392