The Nairobi-based United Nations Human Settlement Program, or UN-Habitat, is looking to international donors for $4 million to build homes for 2,500 Zimbabwean families left without shelter by Harare's May-July slum demolition campaign.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka visited Zimbabwe six months ago and delivered a hard-hitting report on the impact of Operation Murambatsvina (Shona for “Drive Out Rubbish”) to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
She now says donors should fund the rebuilding effort because many thousands of Zimbabweans are still living in the open months after Harare promised them new homes. She urged donors - some of whom are reluctant to help Harare - to look beyond political differences with the government to help the country's needy.
She also seeks $18 million to assist Pakistani earthquake victims.
Reporter Chinedu Offor of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe spoke with Mrs. Tibaijuka about her latest intervention on behalf of the estimated 700,000 Zimbabweans whom she estimated lost their homes or their livelihoods or both in the operation.
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