While organized and spontaneous returns of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) from the Georgian capital Tbilisi to the central
region of Gori have continued over the past few days, tens of
thousands of vulnerable displaced persons continue to shelter in
hundreds of grim collective centres where they remain in constant
need of humanitarian assistance.

"We continue on a daily basis to distribute essential non-food
assistance, targeting the most vulnerable displaced families," says
IOM's Marc Hulst. "But the needs remain considerable and the
challenge daunting, both logistically because the centres are so
numerous and scattered but also because more families displaced
from South Ossetia and conflict-affected areas are still arriving
in the capital."

Over the past three days, IOM staff with the help of local
volunteers have distributed more than a thousand family, child and
baby kits containing mattresses, gas cookers, bed sheets, towels,
soap, toothpaste, washing powder and basin, toilet paper, diapers
and baby food to an additional 495 conflict-affected
individuals.

IOM has also deployed additional staff in the western city of
Kutaisi and in the Black Sea port of Batumi to further assess the
needs of recently internally displaced families and to assist in
the on-going distribution of basic humanitarian assistance.

"With the school year beginning in September and the on-coming
winter, there is an urgent need to provide shelter and building
materials to help displaced families move out of schools and
kindergartens, which they currently occupy," says IOM's Marc
Hulst.

IOM's humanitarian programme for Georgia has received USD
100,000 from the Slovak government. The funding will provide
non-food and shelter assistance to vulnerable families who have
been displaced from South Ossetia.

As part of the UN Flash Appeal, IOM required an initial USD 1.9
million to provide emergency logistical support, shelter and
non-food assistance over the next six months to tens of thousands
of IDPs in Tbilisi and in other parts of Georgia.

For more information, please contact:

Khatuna Didbaridze

IOM Georgia

Tel: + 995 32 25 22 16

E-mail: "mailto:kdidbaridze@iom.ge">kdidbaridze@iom.ge