Creating New Partners and Homes for Over 340 Zimbabwean Families

In 2009, tensions erupted after labor disputes. The result was a wave of farm evictions, building destruction and homelessness.

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Forced evictions and violence last year in Chipinge, Zimbabwe displaced more than 340 families, driving them into emergency displacement camps, International Organization for Migration (IOM) has begun resettling the families in the village of Mugondi.

Since October 2009, IOM and partners have been the support and assistance for the displaced families, including transportation, construction of community-based shelters, water and sanitation facilities and the rehabilitation of classroom blocks. In addition, IOM has worked in cooperation with the Zimbabwean government to ensure that sufficient land occupancy documentation is provided to the families.

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

In 2009, tension between newly resettled small-scale farmers and tenants in the Chipinge farming areas erupted after labor disputes. The result was a wave of farm evictions, displacements and the destruction of more than 400 houses, leaving almost 1,700 individuals homeless.

"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 neighbors, IOM aims to encourage integration between the two."

Source: International Organization for Migration