Dzaleka camp : Malawi inventories precarious housing, refugees skeptical

SOS Médias Burundi |

Dzaleka, July 3, 2025 – A census of houses in poor condition began on Tuesday at the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi. The initiative, jointly led by the UNHCR and the Malawian government, aims to rehabilitate dilapidated housing and provide solutions for the homeless living in the camp. A project welcomed but received with reservations by many refugees.

The refugees of Dzaleka, who have been demanding the rehabilitation of their precarious homes for years, say they are relieved that their grievances are finally beginning to be addressed. However, some denounce a lack of transparency in the methodology.

They regret not having been involved in the development of housing classification criteria. They believe that the occupants themselves should be the first to judge the true condition of their homes.

“A two-year-old house may be in poor condition, while another five years old may still be habitable. It all depends on the materials used and the number of people living there,” a refugee told SOS Médias Burundi.

The refugees point out in particular that the main criterion used by census officials is the year of construction, which they consider insufficient to assess the viability of a home.

Multiple objectives

In addition to updating data on the condition of housing, the census also aims to identify uninhabited houses or those taken over without prior authorization. The authorities hope to redistribute these homes to the camp’s homeless.

According to local leaders, the UNHCR and the Malawian government want to provide concrete solutions to refugees affected by the housing crisis in Dzaleka. A plan to build new homes is also being developed in response to the rapid population growth in the camp.

New villages planned

The project involves the construction of new villages where refugees and members of host communities will coexist. The authorities hope to accelerate the reintegration program for refugees and asylum seekers by fostering greater cohesion with the local population.

An overflowing camp

The Dzaleka camp, located in the Dowa district, currently hosts more than 50,000 refugees, more than three times its initial capacity. Among them, more than 11,000 are Burundians.

The camp administration has also indicated that a refugee relocation plan is currently being analyzed to relieve overcrowding at the site, which has become unsustainable.

Despite the hope raised by these rehabilitation and construction projects, many refugees remain skeptical about their effective implementation and fear that these initiatives will, once again, result in broken promises.