IOM with funding from the Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation of the Netherlands is implementing a project aimed at addressing heath vulnerabilities of migrant mine‐workers, their families and affected communities in southern Africa, with particular focus on mine worker sending, transit and destination communities of Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.
The mining industry is a major contributor to the economies of southern Africa, either through the extraction of minerals or the provision of labour to neighbouring countries. As mineworkers frequently move between urban and rural areas and across borders, they often encounter difficulties in accessing health care services due to lack of harmonized treatment regimens and cross-border referral mechanisms.
The three year project is implemented by IOM Regional Migration and Health Team in partnership with Voluntary Service Organisation (VSO), Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa and directly responds to the recently signed SADC Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector.