Across East Africa, climate change is driving displacement and disrupting livelihoods, from rising waters along Burundi’s Lake Tanganyika to recurrent flooding in Kenya’s informal settlements. As communities face growing climate pressures, young leaders are developing practical solutions to build resilience. In Burundi, ISHAKA 2250 supports flood-displaced families through reforestation, livestock distribution, and livelihood restoration. In Kenya, Dreams Redefined combines climate action with community development through improved waste management, environmental practices, and financial literacy. Supported by an IOM climate mobility programme and grants, these youth-led initiatives demonstrate how local action can help communities adapt, recover, and thrive. Their work highlights the vital role of young people in addressing climate-driven displacement and building a more resilient future.
IOM
Displaced Somali families in Doolow are building climate-resilient mudbrick shelters, improving safety, dignity, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability.
Raging floods destroyed homes and livelihoods in Viet Nam, but survivors continue rebuilding their lives with courage and determination.
Devastating floods in Yemen’s Wadi Nakhla displaced thousands, destroying homes and leaving grieving families struggling to rebuild their lives.
In southern Mauritania, visually impaired activist Zeine Moustapha is helping young people make informed migration choices through community awareness campaigns focused on the risks of irregular migration and local opportunities.
Under intense heat at the Sudan–South Sudan border, Marida, a 35‑year‑old Sudanese mother of four, walks an hour to reach the area’s only health clinic, carrying her youngest child. With no job and little access to care near her home, the clinic is her lifeline. As she waits in the shade, she braids her daughter’s hair and shares water, calm despite exhaustion. Serving conflict‑affected families in a harsh, remote landscape, the clinic offers rare care close to home. That day a clinician assessed Marida and prescribed medication. Having already lost one son at age four, she makes the journey whenever her children, aged 13, 10, 8 and 4, need care—and will walk it again for follow‑up.
Her life today looks very different from the years abroad, a reminder of the harm trafficking causes and the strength required to rebuild. Healing begins anew with the help of IOM and partners.
In Tahoua, Amina and other returned migrant women are transforming their lives by building a cooperative that creates local opportunities and challenges the need for risky migration.
When a fire in an IDP camp in Iraq destroyed a family's legal identity documents, the International Organization for Migration helped the mother, Lozina, in restoring their civil documentation, so her children could access education and services.
In Cox’s Bazar, Sabekun Nahar revives the traditional Rohingya dish musa, using food, memory and culture to reconnect displaced communities with identity and belonging.
After nearly eight years in captivity following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Yurii Shapovalov is rebuilding his life amid Ukraine’s long war.
As humanitarian crises worsen across the globe, countless families are struggling without enough food, shelter, or basic necessities. This Holy Month, share your blessings, your compassion has the power to save lives.
In Bujumbura, Congolese migrant Joyce built a thriving restaurant through social media, creating jobs and uniting communities through shared cuisine.
Over 3 million Sudanese have returned, most are going back to their exact home areas or nearby locations. Nearly three years into the conflict, families are returning to destruction and many return areas have extensive damage to housing, basic services, and critical infrastructure. Teams from the UN migration organization - the IOM - are responding by providing shelter and water among other vital basic services.
10 things you should know about Sudan: an IOM feature visual-storyteller.
After returning to his devastated hometown of Sa’dah, Afif Wahesh helped revive the Youth Forum, transforming it into a vibrant, inclusive hub for sports, civic engagement, and community resilience.