2017 saw a steep increase in asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who are fleeing into Zambia. As of mid-December 2017, more than 10,500 asylum seekers at the Chiengi Border had been received at the Reception and Transit Centres in Zambia’s Luapula Province. The refugees arriving in Zambia are in urgent need of protection and life-saving assistance including food, water, medical care, shelter and sanitation. Plans are underway to open a new refugee settlement in Luapula Province to host these new arrivals and the increasing numbers anticipated for 2018.

Participants coordinating during site planning and camp designing.

In December 2017 IOM provided support to the Government of Zambia to ensure that Disaster Management Committee members in the relevant parts of Luapula Province have the necessary knowledge and skills to address specific challenges in the province, partnerships in relation to Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM). This included a training, which reached 25 participants.

Participants sharing ideas on how to make a camp management house.

The training, held in Mwansobmbwe Luapula Province was aimed at equipping the committee members with the necessary knowledge and skills required to respond to humanitarian needs of people in displacement sites, with a focus on establishing the new cap setup. The 25 participants who attended the training were drawn from Chiengi, Mwansabombwe and Nchelenge districts. The training was facilitated by an IOM Trainer and a Trainer from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) of the Office of the Vice President, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Participants working on camp set up.

Among the topics covered in the training were: an introduction to Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM); taking a rights-based approach to CCCM, with particular focus on human rights and needs during the provision of assistance (services and set up of facilities); protection principles and approaches; the legal framework of protection; coordination and information management; roles and responsibilities in a camp set up; and Camp Life Cycle, including camp planning and setup, care and maintenance and camp closure, finishing with a session on durable solutions.

This training was made possible with financial support from IOM Headquarters in Geneva.