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Emergency Trust Fund for Africa
News article24 April 2019

« Today I sold 4kg of aubergines. With the money I will buy oil and meat for the family »

Today I sold 4kg of aubergines. With the money I will buy oil and meat for the family
UNHCR

In close collaboration with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Mauritania (UNHCR) has been coordinating since 2012 the humanitarian response in the camp of Mbera, with the financial support of the European Union. With its implementing partners, UNHCR provides protection, assistance and essential services to more than 56,000 refugees who fled conflict in northern Mali.

In 2017, UNHCR launched the « Strengthening the Resilience of populations displaced by the instability in Northern Mali » a regional project financed by European Union through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF). The project will last three years (July 2017 – June 2020) and is being implemented in Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. The objective is to strengthen the resilience of the populations forcibly displaced by instability in Northern Mali, to support peaceful coexistence between communities and to facilitate voluntary repatriation of refugees.

In Mauritania, thanks to the EUTF, around 1,600 refugees cultivate agricultural products in the 5 gardens dislocated all over Mbera camp, making a living out of the greens they produce and sell at the camp market every Tuesday.

In addition to this, the EUTF allowed UNCHR to complete a study to identify economic opportunities in the region for refugees and the host community; to support the collection and analysis of data for a socio-economic profiling of refugee households in the Mbera camp; the implementation of income-generating activities for Malians and Mauritanians; to provide scholarships for 43 refugee students to continue their university studies in Nouakchott; to provide along with ILO on-the-job training programme for 200 young Malians and Mauritanians in Mbera camp; to do sensitization sessions to encourage peaceful and conflict management between refugees and Mauritanians, reaching more than 15,000 people; and to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of 415 people.

Source: UNHCR

Details

Publication date
24 April 2019
Region and Country
MaliMauritanieBurkina FasoNiger
Thematic
Strengthening resilience of communities
Partner
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Programmes in the region