Zimbabwean and Botswanian government ministers will officially open
an IOM reception and support centre at Plumtree for Zimbabwean
irregular migrants returned home from Botswana on 4 March.

The centre, on the border with Botswana, opened its doors to the
migrants in May 2008 with an estimated 3,000 migrants going through
it doors per month. Since last May, IOM has provided humanitarian
assistance to nearly 33,450 returned irregular migrants, comprising
food, basic health care and referral for further treatment,
protection support including psycho-social and legal assistance, as
well as transport home. Returnees are also provided with
information and education materials on HIV and AIDS in addition to
being given voluntary HIV and AIDS tests and counselling
services.

Zimbabwe's Minister of Labour and Social Welfare,  Pauline
Mpariwa, with Co-Ministers of Home Affairs, Kembo Mohadi and Giles
Mutsekwa, will formally open the centre with Peter Letlhogonolo
Siele, Botswana's Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, and
representatives from Zimbabwean local authorities, IOM, United
Nations and the Swedish development agency (Sida), in
attendance.

The centre at Plumtree is the second such centre that has been
established by IOM to provide humanitarian assistance to irregular
Zimbabwean migrants who have been returned back home. A centre at
Beitbridge on Zimbabwe's border with South Africa was opened in May
2006 and which has since helped about 304,000 people. Currently,
about 11,000 Zimbabweans are being returned through Beitbridge a
month.

In tandem with the reception and support centres, and in
partnership with the Zimbabwe government and various other
partners, IOM is continuing to implement a nationwide campaign
providing potential migrants with information on the risks and
realities of irregular migration including vulnerability to human
trafficking and HIV. The aim of the Safe Journey campaign is to
enable potential migrants and those who have been returned from
neighbouring countries to make informed decisions on
emigration.

Like Beitbridge, the Plumtree centre which is funded by Sida,
the Dutch government and the United Kingdom's Department for
International Development (DIFD), also provides training to border
officials, police, social service providers and relevant local
authorities on migrant rights, human trafficking, irregular
migration and smuggling. At the request of local authorities IOM
also assists in health interventions such as fighting the cholera
outbreak that has already killed about 3,900 people in the
country.  

For more information, please contact:

Erin Foster

IOM Zimbabwe

Tel: +263-4-355044 or +263-912 572 315

E-mail: "mailto:efoster@iom.int">efoster@iom.int