Returnees in Guatemala.txt

Returnees in Guatemala

01. Since 1984, more than 32,000 Guatemalans have returned from the refugee camps in Mexico.
Here, houses of returnees in the village of Santa Maria Tzeja, near Cantabel, Ixcan.

02. UNHCR is funding a range of assistance projects to facilitate the reintegration of returnees.
Here, a UNHCR officer helps a newly returned couple with their papers and documentation.
Returnee community La Esmeralda, near Dolores, Peten.

03. Many returnees settle in areas with lacking or poorly developed infrastructure. UNHCR-funded
Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) include the construction or rehabilitation of rural roads and
bridges allowing communities easier access to markets and medical care. Returnee village
Santa Maria Tzeja, near Cantabel, Ixcan.

04. UNHCR's Quick Impact Projects include the funding of small business ventures. This returnee
was able to start a carpentry business thanks to a QIP. Cantabel, Ixcan.

05. In the community of Santa Maria Tzeja, near Cantabel, Ixcan, life is slowly returning
to normal. The villagers, half returnees from Mexico and resettled IDPs, have built permanent
homes, a school, community hall and stores. The village also has a new UNHCR-funded access road.

06. Thanks to several rural cooperatives funded under a UNHCR Quick Impact Project (QIP) returnees have
been able to resume the production of cardamon, which is one of the traditional crops of the
region. Santa Maria Tzeja, near Cantabel, Ixcan.

07. Cardamon producing factory run by returnees at Santa Maria Tzeja, near Cantabel, Ixcan. The
factory's equipment was funded under a UNHCR Quick Impact Project.

08. SLIDE MISSING - UNHCR's Quick Impact Projects include the funding of small business ventures, e.g. handicrafts
and textile production. These returnee women show the traditional clothes they propose to make
for sale. La Esmeralda, near Dolores, Peten.

09. The returnee community of La Esmeralda, near Dolores, Peten, was given land in a remote,
densely forested area. UNHCR is providing supplies so returnees can build their houses.

10. This newly arrived family was able to return to their former village which is only accessible
by boat. They live in a temporary shelter made of metal and plastic sheeting, but hope to
build a more permanent home soon. El Tumbo, near Sayaxche, Peten.

11. In Mexican refugee camps women became accustomed to using improved stoves rather than
open fires for cooking. A UNHCR-funded QIP allows for the continued provision of fuel-efficient
stoves, saving firewood and avoiding health hazards. Returnee community of Santa Maria Tzeja,
near Cantabel, Ixcan.

12. SLIDE MISSING - Returnees have decorated their newly built community hall with a mural
to remember their struggle. Santa Maria Tzeja, near Cantabel, Ixcan.


PHOTO CREDITS : UNHCR/B. Press