United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on all people in the country to work with the organisation in supporting refugees.
This has been stated by UNHCR Representative Monique Ekoko during World Refugee Day commemorations at Dzaleka camp in Dowa on Wednesday.
The event was held under the theme “We stand together with refugees.”
Speaking at the ceremony, Ekoko said the theme of this year’s event stands for three objectives which includes access to education, shelter and livelihood opportunities to the refugees who are currently facing problems due to inadequate resources to support them.
“In education we want to make sure that every child gets an education, on shelter we will make sure that every refugee family has somewhere safe to live and on the point of livelihood we are assuring that refugees can work or learn new skills to support their families,” she explained.
Ekoko went on to say that with the increase of population in the camp there is need to find solutions to various protection challenges they face since it is a complex endeavour hence requiring the collaboration of many partners.
She said taking care of refugees must be a shared responsibility thus non-traditional partners should also play a great role in embracing refugees and asylum seekers by giving them a chance to show their potential.
In his remarks, Deputy Commissioner for Refugees in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Hudson Mankhwala asked the refugees to be in a good relationship with surrounding communities.
Mankhwala also thanked traditional leaders in the district for working hand in hand with government in supporting refugees in the country.
Malawi started keeping refugees in 1991. The refugees who come from various countries such as Rwanda, Somalia and Democratic of Congo reside at Dzaleka and Luwani camps.
