By Justice Zhou.
HArare. – (News Of The South) – A Norwegian aid agency that helped people displaced mainly by political conflict in Zimbabwe is shutting down its operations.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which has been in the country for almost five years, cited an improved situation for pulling out.
The agency’s relief work benefited roughly 240,000 people, but it stressed there still were some “real humanitarian needs” in the southern African nation.
“We have had some difficult times in our relationship with the government,” said Lynn Walker, country director at the NRC office in Zimbabwe.
“Many beneficiaries also expressed their sadness that we are closing but many also said that they can now support themselves.”
Its activities included getting children back to school, drilling boreholes to support community gardens and providing shelter.
United Nations agencies have said a recent spike in the internally displaced was prompted by election violence and land reforms although there were other triggers.
However, international aid groups often have had brushes with President Robert Mugabe, accused of sponsoring opposition parties to effect “regime change” against his rule.
“Once our programme was accepted and trusted, our biggest challenge was finding the resources to do everything we felt needed to be done,” Walker added.
The government banned relief workers in 2008, but allowed them back a year later after the coalition government was formed.
In 2005, the UN reported the government to have rendered 570,000 people homeless after pulling down illegally-built houses through its Operation Murambatsvina.
Hundreds of thousands of farm workers and their families were uprooted following the 2000 fast-track land reforms, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
Justice Zhou.
(News Of The South) – A Norwegian aid agency that helped people displaced mainly by political conflict in Zimbabwe is shutting down its operations.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which has been in the country for almost five years, cited an improved situation for pulling out.
The agency’s relief work benefited roughly 240,000 people, but it stressed there still were some “real humanitarian needs” in the southern African nation.
“We have had some difficult times in our relationship with the government,” said Lynn Walker, country director at the NRC office in Zimbabwe.
“Many beneficiaries also expressed their sadness that we are closing but many also said that they can now support themselves.”
Its activities included getting children back to school, drilling boreholes to support community gardens and providing shelter.
United Nations agencies have said a recent spike in the internally displaced was prompted by election violence and land reforms although there were other triggers.
However, international aid groups often have had brushes with President Robert Mugabe, accused of sponsoring opposition parties to effect “regime change” against his rule.
“Once our programme was accepted and trusted, our biggest challenge was finding the resources to do everything we felt needed to be done,” Walker added.
The government banned relief workers in 2008, but allowed them back a year later after the coalition government was formed.
In 2005, the UN reported the government to have rendered 570,000 people homeless after pulling down illegally-built houses through its Operation Murambatsvina.
Hundreds of thousands of farm workers and their families were uprooted following the 2000 fast-track land reforms, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
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