By Vincent Gunde
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency responsible for migration issues, with support from European Union will implement a 4 year Regional Responses to Climate Displacement in Sub- Saharan Africa ( RE2CUD) project.
The project will be implemented in Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Comoros targeting displacement affected communities- people who live in areas at high risk of climate- related shocks.
In Malawi, the project is targeting areas in the southern region districts such as Chikwawa, Nsanje, Mangochi, Mulanje, Phalombe, and Blantyre and Dowa in the central region.
Presenting the project to the District executive committee ( Dec) in Dowa, IOM’s National Disaster Risk Reduction Officer Master Simoni, said the project will target both the refugee and host communities to strengthen their through nature-based solution and to promote cohession and peaceful co-existence between the two communities.
Simoni said the project has an overall objective of ensuring that displacement affected communities living in areas at risk of disasters and adverse effects of climate change, environmental degradation and correlated stressors are resilient and self- reliant, using human rights based approaches and gender and disability inclusive interventions.
He said RE2CUD project was designed to build resilience against the impacts of climate displacement through coordinated regional efforts and tailored country- level activities.
The officer said RE2CUD project will implement area based interventions targeting identified displaced affected communities as a whole group of beneficiaries with an expectation of strengthening displacement management and multihazard monitoring systems.
” Malawi is exposed to a wide variety of natural hazards that include floods, strong winds, dry spells, cyclones, and landslides. It is therefore important to strengthen community resilience and break the virtous cycle of displacement” said Simon.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Director of Education, Youth and Sports Christopher Kumikundi, said the project has come to the district at the time that the council is seriously addressing environmental concerns saying there is need to climate risks and environmental challenges facing both the refuee and host communities.
Kumikundi said Malawians have found lucrative markets for illegally produced charcoal in Dzaleka Camp which has led to depletion of natural resources including Kongwe hills.
