The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the country, under the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency, has provided transport to 189 Malawians who were stranded in South Africa.
They include 143 males and 46 females. Out of the 143 males, 12 are unaccompanied minors and nine are minors with their parents, while out of the 46 females seven are minors with their parents.
return home in 2015
Malawi News Agency learnt about the development on Thursday in Lilongwe, during the launch of the inter-ministerial steering committee on the pilot project dubbed ‘Action on Voluntary Return and Sustainable Community-Based Reintegration’ (AVRR Project).
IOM regional director for Southern Africa, Charles Kwenin, said his organisation helps people who live abroad, but have no means of returning home.
He added that his organisation has assisted the returnees with 100 euro (almost K80 000) as financial support upon their arrival in the country.
Kwenin further said IOM seeks to manage migration through formulating projects and policies to ensure that migrants are safe and protected.
He noted that the AVRR project would reduce cases of violence which migrants face when they are in foreign countries.
“This would also minimise violence such as xenophobic attacks which many migrants face when they are abroad,” he said.
IOM is implementing the AVRR project in collaboration with governments of South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, with funding from European Union (EU).
Principal Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Kiswell Dakamau expressed the government’s readiness to support the returnees with financial capital for them to open businesses and be independent. n
