Help Build a Future for IDP Women & Children

I wanted to bring you encouraging developments on our Faladje IDP relocation project. In our eight years of working in Africa, this is the most challenging project ATEG has ever undertaken. Major humanitarian organizations, have previously tried and failed. Over the past few months, our team has met with Mayors from a number of potential host communities, and although the meetings appeared to be encouraging, ultimately our proposals were declined. Anyway, I think that we might finally have found a pathway forward.

A major businessman and philanthropist in Mali, has donated 185 acres of land in Zantiguila for use by IDPs. There are currently about 450 IDPs from the Mopti region living there, and receiving limited aid from various organizations. The land is in need of development in terms of housing, wells, latrines, irrigation and agriculture. However, it presents a safe, clean, welcoming environment and a wonderful alternative to the Faladje Camp, where the IDPs have spent the last 2 years living in a garbage dump under the most deplorable, toxic living conditions. We have been holding meetings with the Faladje community about the option of resettlement to Zantiguila. The exciting news is that, after previous reluctance to leave, approximately 70 households (about 500 people, including 375 children) have indicated a desire to be resettled at Zantiguila.

We are planning to meet with the players at Zantiguila, including– the IDPs currently living there, representatives of the aid agencies, and the businessman who donated the land. We expect to be partnering with them and are looking to determine the roles and responsibilities of each agency, what services they are providing, and what gaps need to be filled. We will then define ATEGs specific role in the process.

Although there are major aid agencies involved, their resources devoted to Zantiguila are limited. The issue is that there are over 41 million IDPs globally, with many any of them living in conflict zones. The plight of 1,000 IDPs living in a garbage dump is hardly a blip on their radar. So the future of these Faladje IDPs rests in large part on ATEG. Although this is the most ambitious project that we have ever taken on, our wonderful GlobalGiving donors have always come through and given us the encouragement and financial support to make the impossible happen. We hope you will join us on this journey.