From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ANGOLA: REBUILDING WAR-SHATTERED LI
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 01:06:00 GMT

Area: Africa, southern
Reference: Agriculture; Third World Dvpmnt
Title: ANGOLA: REBUILDING WAR-SHATTERED LIVES


an interpress service feature

by vicki finkel

huambo, angola, sept 2 (ips) -- as the end of angola's bitter
16-year civil war leads many displaced farmers back to their
abandoned villages, the u.n. childrens fund (unicef) has been
assisting returnees to restablish their lives and their
war-shattered farms.

approximately 800,000 angolans have been displaced in the
conflict between the government and union for the total
liberation of angola (unita), losing everything they owned in
their flight to bush or urban areas in search of refuge.

but since the first planting season following the may 1991
ceasefire between the two warring parties, unicef has been
distributing beans and corn seeds to families in the central
province of huambo in an effort to promote food self sufficiency
and security in the central highlands, one of the hardest hit
areas during the bloody fighting.

a unique aspect of the unicef scheme is that unlike past
humanitarian projects, the seeds are not mere donations but are
viewed as commercial transactions, with farmers paying a
subsidised rate for the agricultural inputs.

one of seven of angola's 18 provinces to benefit from the
unicef seed project, the huambo project is considered
particularly successful and has already benefitted 22,500
families.

according to the project organisers, in the three huambo
municipalities in which the project was implemented -- huambo,
caala and ekunha -- surpluses were sold on the open market, as
well as back to unicef for distribution in other areas of the
province.

with the implementation of such projects, unicef aims to
transform itself from a supplier of relief items to a catalyst
for community-generated development work.

''the reinvestment project aims to eliminate paternalism and
generate income for the individual communities,'' says marli
pinto, the unicef representative here.

delays in the supplies of seed however, coupled with unicef's
agreement to work with the government institute for agricultural
development in the seed project have impeded optimal site
selection. (more/ips)


angola : rebuilding (2)

in a bid to quickly get seeds out to the farmers for the
last planting season, which in many cases had already begun, the
ministry of agriculture was forced to select sites around the
municipal capitals.

thus, while the project covered three municipalities, it only
extended 15 to 20 kms from any municipal capital. the prevalence of
landmines on the roads also limited unicef's access to needy
angolans in the more remote war-affected areas.

political factors have also contibuted to the choice of sites.
responsible for the programme location, the government agricultural
department was unwilling to work with unita controlled territories
thus excluding many of the isolated and distant communities in
huambo

but despite these logistical problems, unicef has continued to
try and facilitate the restoration of normal life by donating other
forms of material assistance to huambo communities.

in the danga region about 30 kms outside the huambo
provincial capital, angolans can now buy doors, chairs and other
wood furnishings for half the market price. the sale price has been
made possible through the donation of a carpentry set to village
carpenter henrique simatiuca.

formerly a carpenter in a nearby factory owned by a portuguse
business man who fled the country at independence in 1975,
simatiuca was forced to abandon his trade when his employer shut
down his business and took his tools with him.

but with his newly aquired capentry set he can resume his trade.
along with simatiuca, 11 other carpenters received carpentry
sets and 19 bricklaying kits were also distributed with the
money collected from seed purchases.

some communities received bicycles for village health
projects, road construction, football fields and a community
loan to build a store through the fund.

about 150 kms north of huambo about 200 people in the village of
jamba will be part of the 15,000 displaced persons expected to
benefit from the unicef seed project during its second programme
year.

''this a project we want to begin with you,'' pinto says as
she explains the seed project to village residents who have been
streaming back to the village since january. they are arriving
from the town of bailando about 15 kms away, where they had
sought refuge during the war. (end/ips/vc/tvh/oa/92)



-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african