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Good Neighbors promotes self-reliance and peaceful coexistence through a vocational training program at Nduta refugee camp

Countries
Tanzania
+ 2 more
Sources
Good Neighbors International
Publication date

Nduta refugee camp is located in Kibondo district, Kigoma Region, Tanzania, accommodating 93,743 refugees; most of them are Burundians as of November 30th 2018. Good Neighbors International (GNI), with its strategic objective of providing equal opportunities and building self-reliance to Burundian refugees and host community, launched a vocational training project in the Buffer Zone near Nduta camp.
Self-reliance and sense of peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities started to build up through the operation of Maloregwa Vocational Training Centre established by GNI in December 2016 in Maloregwa village of Kibondo District, Kigoma Region. This project was funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Humanitarian Partnership Program.
The project is aiming at enhancing self-reliance and livelihoods of refugees and host community through vocational training and business skills training. It is also expected to promote peaceful coexistence and social cohesion between refugees and host community through its continuous peace building activities and education.

Maloregwa Vocational Training Center is registered by Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) of government of Tanzania, and students would be awarded with certificates when they complete the training for six months. The center is currently offering training in two occupations, which are Carpentry, Joinery and Designing; and Sewing and Cloth Technology. Since beginning its operation in December 2017, 149 refugees and host community members have graduated from the center as of December, 2018.
In Kigoma region, conflicts often occur as refugees and host community have prejudice and misconception of each other. Many times host community felt neglected from international aid assistance and blamed refugees for taking their opportunities. This is due to lack of resources and attention from international communities whose main focus was on refugee population. While refugees were becoming more and more reliant on aid provided by international humanitarian agencies due to government of Tanzania’s encampment policy, host communities were overlooked despite their poverty. In this context, Maloregwa Vocational Training Center operated by GNI at the buffer zone is serving as a platform for refugees and Host Community to learn marketable skills together in harmony, and to build a sense of partnership with each other during the training.

GNI is an international humanitarian and development organization. It has made great strides in its mission by providing people around the world with a better quality of life since its establishment in Korea, 1991. GNI was granted General Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC in 1996 and acknowledged its contribution and granted the “MDGs Award” in 2007.