TONGOGARA refugee camp is set to have a major face lift as the government and its development partners step up efforts to end hunger and provide safe spaces for refugees.
The refugee camp, established in 1984 to accommodate Mozambican refugees fleeing civil war, is now home to at least 16 000 refugees, mainly from Burundi, Mozambique and Rwanda.
Speaking during the World Food Day celebrations held at the camp recently, World Food Programme (WFP) deputy country director Billy Mwiinga said they were aware of the need for food security tightening bolts in places such as the camp.
“Food security goes beyond availability; it must include access, utilisation and stability. Nutrition is a core part of our work because a truly food-secure nation requires a well-nourished population in places like Tongogara Refugee Settlement.
“We are acutely aware of the needs of displaced people. Displacement often brings unique challenges and WFP is committed to ensuring access to nutritious food and essential resources for these communities,” Mwiinga said.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) acting Head of Field Office Catherine Odette Um said in a world where millions face food insecurity, refugees and displaced persons were particularly vulnerable.
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“The government of Zimbabwe has consistently shown hospitality and maintains a favourable protective environment for forcibly displaced persons.
“World Food Programme, UNHCR, FAO and other stakeholders, with the support of the government of Zimbabwe, prioritise and ensure that forcibly displaced persons make a safe and sustainable living that meets their basic needs, contribute to their dignity and provide enjoyment of the basic human right of access to food,” she said.
Odette Um said in view of the plans and activities currently underway, there was a requirement for sustainable water resource management.
“Tongogara Refugee Settlement relies on boreholes as the main sources of water for drinking and livelihoods and this year has witnessed one of the driest periods in the history of the settlement.
“Our boreholes are now low yielding owing to over-abstraction in the already strained groundwater resources, threatening the very projects and interventions we are implementing.
“After declaring our boreholes as our last line of defence, we had to re-imagine a water supply that will strategically address our challenges and launch us into our desired plans and have settled for sand abstraction mufuku.
“This sand abstraction project will see us realise our mantra ‘The Tongogara We Want’; a dream of greening Tongogara. With our partners, we are also offering vocational training programmes to help Tongogara residents learn new skills and start small businesses.”
Lands and Agriculture ministry secretary Obert Jiri reiterated government’s commitment to continuing to provide technical backstopping to the settlement through the ministry’s business advisory services officers.
“...In line with the government’s inclusive agenda, there are prospects for extending the Presidential Inputs Scheme to the Tongogara Refugee Settlement.
“The inputs scheme, which provides essential agricultural inputs to farmers, could significantly benefit this community, ensuring food security at the local level,” he said.