El Salvador - IOM has reconstructed and re-equipped facilities of the Salvadoran Institute for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents (ISNA) designed to house unaccompanied migrant children and adolescent returnees.

The USD 200,000 renovation of facilities at the Children's Center for Immediate Protection (CIPI) and to Hogar del Niño and San Vicente de Paul were handed over to ISNA this week.

They included restoration to hydraulic and electrical systems; readjustment of bedrooms by gender and the refurbishment of private spaces; restoration of walls and dining space; and the construction of a multi-purpose room.

The spaces – catering for up 100 children a day – were equipped with seven complete living rooms, beds, wooden dressers, chairs, desks, bedside tables and appliances such as televisions and DVD players.

The project was funded by USAID as part of an IOM project: “Comprehensive Assistance to Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Families Returning to the Northern Triangle of Central America”.

"Our aim is to help returned migrant children and adolescents to reach their maximum potential. We know how vulnerable they are and how much they need our support. These facilities will give them something approximating privacy and a family-like environment," said IOM Chief of Mission for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras Jorge Peraza Breedy.

According to statistics from the Directorate General of Immigration (DGME), between January and October 2015, some 4,889 children and adolescents migrants have returned to El Salvador. Of these, 2,279 were unaccompanied.

Between November 2014 and October 2015, in close collaboration with the Salvadoran government, IOM has provided post arrival immediate assistance to 4,087 children and adolescents, who arrived at reception centres. This included the distribution of first care kits, counselling and medical check-ups, as well as rebuilding reception infrastructure and building the capacity of Salvadoran officials.

For further information, please contact Alba Miriam Amaya at IOM El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras Tel. +503.25210500, Email: aamaya@iom.int