Seeking Sanctuary

Building homes in Botswana

Kevin Mavhunga grows vegetables on a small plot of land outside his house. These days, farming is his main source of income but it hasn't always been.

Kevin is one of 33 million people around the world that have been forced to leave their home as a result of war and violence. He is still cautious when speaking of why he left his home in Zimbabawe. "We were having problems. I was accused of supporting the opposition," he says. "I was working at a health centre, and when I was accused of treating opposition party members, I was beaten."

Kevin was severely beaten and during the assault had his hip broken. Denied medical care for some time by his assailants, Kevin's hip healed badly and he will now walk with a limp and suffer discomfort for the rest of his life.

Despite his injuries, Kevin is grateful to be alive and determined to make the best of his situation. "I escaped from Zimbabwe to Botswana," he says. "Then people from UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) brought me here."

"Here" is Dukwi, Botswana, about a six hour drive north-east of the capital city of Gaborone. Dukwi is a small, traditional village dominated by a large, anything-but-traditional refugee camp.

The camp was opened in the late 1970's for people seeking sanctuary from the civil unrest between government and rebel forces in Angola. In the 1980's, they were joined by South African's fleeing apartheid - today, the camp is "home" to over 3,000 people from 17 different African nations.

Traditionally, Habitat for Humanity has concentrated on building simple, decent and permanent homes for people in severe housing need. So what then is our role in refugee camps - places of sanctuary that are anything but permanent?

Habitat for Humanity has worked with people like Kevin Mavungha to build over 100 simple, decent homes at the Dukwi refugee camp. Unlike traditional Habitat programmes, where homepartner families are selected by the local community, those living in the "permanent" homes at Dukwi are selected by the Botswana President's Office on the basis of need and size of family.

As situations change, people come and go from the camp. Homepartners at Dukwi are required to maintain their homes in order for new occupants to enjoy the same standard of living despite the regular changing of hands. The occupants, like Kevin Mavhunga, have gone the "extra mile" having not only maintained their homes but also planted gardens and trees in order to maintain a constant supply of fresh fruit and vegetables.

In the uncertain world of the refugee camp, amongst the worn and tattered tents, Habitat for Humanity is providing a sense of permanence and "home" for those whose lives have been shattered by violence and persecution.

Habitat for Humanity is constantly adapting its ways of working to reach out to more families in need of a simple, decent home; from disaster reconstruction programmes, resource centres to refugee homes, we will continue to work towards a world where EVERYONE has a simple, decent place to live.

Experience of a volunteer in Africa and the Middle East

Read more about Habitat for Humanity's work in Botswana