Voluntary Repatriation to Tajikistan.txt

Voluntary Repatriation to Tajikistan

01. Sakhi camp near Mazar-I-Sharif, Afghanistan: during the 1992 civil war, some 60,000
fled to northern Afghanistan. 30,000 found shelter in this camp.

02. After crossing the Amu river, Tajik returnees are registered by Russian soldiers who
are part of the peace keeping force that patrols the border with Afghanistan.

03. Returnees spend one day in a transit centre at Nizny Pianj, where they receive a cash
allowance, food rations and some household items before being taken to their home districts and
villages.

04. Returnee child on the way home from exile in Afghanistan. Khatlon Province.

05. An estimated 17,000 houses were destroyed during the 1992 civil war. Shaartuz, Khatlon
Province.

06. Under a "Food for Work" program, houses are reconstructed by "brigades" consisting of 12 or
13 men. Village of Socialism, Kabodian District, Khatlon Province.

07. As part of its shelter program, UNHCR provides wooden beams, roofing sheets and nails for
the reconstruction of destroyed houses. Here, roofing sheets being delivered at Tajikabad,
Shaartuz District.

08. Many schools in Khatlon Province were destroyed during the war. Classes continue in most
areas despite the difficulties, even if they must be held outdoors. Tajikabad, Shaartuz District.

09. One of the difficulties faced by returnees is the lack of income-generating opportunities.
UNHCR is funding several small-scale "quick impact" projects, like this soap-making workshop, in
an effort to overcome this problem. Bokhtar District, Khatlon Province.

10. This shoe-making workshop at Voroshilov, Khatlon Province, is one of the UNHCR-funded
"quick impact" projects (QIPs) designed to help returnees earn a small sustainable income.

Related Subjects:

11. The United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) has the task of monitoring and
reporting on violations of the cease-fire agreement between the Tajik government and the
opposition. Here, UNMOT staff in discussion with a member of the government-aligned militia.
Garm Valley, Tajikistan.

12. Many Russian nationals who spent years, and sometimes their entire lives, in other republics
of the former Soviet Union now feel compelled to return to Russia. Here, a counsellor at the
Russian Consulate in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, explains the formalities and legal requirements for such
a return.

Credit for all photos : UNHCR/ A. Hollmann