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Vulnerable displaced families in Zimbabwe helped to resettle
International Organisation on Migration (IOM)
September 17, 2010

More than 340 families displaced through evictions and violence in Chipinge in eastern Zimbabwe last year are being helped to resettle in another village in the district.

The resettlement of the 342 families, which have been living in two emergency displacement settlements in Chipinge since October 2009, is being carried out by IOM and partners in cooperation with the Zimbabwean government.

IOM assistance includes transportation to the village of Mugondi, the construction of community-based shelters and water and sanitation facilities such as temporary latrines and sinking boreholes and the rehabilitation of classroom blocks. In addition, IOM has worked with the government to ensure that sufficient land tenure documentation is provided to the families being resettled.

Zimbabwe's Fast Track Land Reform Programme, which began in 2000 and which was compounded by the post-election crisis of 2008, led to widespread land disputes in many farming communities across the country.

In this case, tension between newly resettled small-scale farmers and tenants in the Chipinge farming areas erupted after labour disputes on the farms. The result was a wave of farm evictions, displacements and the destruction of more than 400 houses, leaving almost 1,700 individuals homeless. At the time, IOM assisted the affected families with tarpaulins for temporary shelter, food, blankets, hygiene kits, and aqua tabs. The Organization also provided health and education support, including on HIV and AIDS, at the two temporary settlements in Chipinge District.

In Mugondi, IOM is coordinating assistance to the displaced families and their host communities through partnerships with other organizations. This includes Action Contre La Faim constructing the latrines, UNICEF providing materials and technical support for latrine construction and Christian Care implementing a cash-for-work programme as an incentive for beneficiary participation to dig latrine pits.

"The Mugondi resettlement is a good example of how government, local communities and humanitarian partners can work together to facilitate durable solutions for vulnerable IDPs," said IOM Deputy Chief of Mission Katie Kerr. "By expanding our focus from the needs of displaced families to also those of their new neighbours, IOM aims to encourage integration between the two," she added.

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