The two bedroom homes, located in the Pacific port city of Tumaco in Nariño Department, are part of a new planned community with roads and sidewalks, electricity, water and sewer services, and a park.
Tumaco has seen many of its residents forcibly displaced by natural disasters and illegal armed groups who use the area as a trans-shipment corridor for the narcotics trade. According to government figures, there are 16,405 internally displaced persons in the municipality.
"I finally have my own home to raise my four children!" exclaims Mariela Magón, who lost her home and belongings following last year's floods. "My children now have a park to play in, and we have brick walls and cement floors that will keep us safe from the elements."
The project, which is directly benefitting 800 people, was carried out with funding from USAID and with the technical support and management from IOM. It also received the backing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, of the President's Agency for Social Action and International Cooperation (Acción Social) and the Mayor's Office of Tumaco, whilst the residents took part in the construction process.
IOM's partners provided the new residents with kitchen kits; a government programme provided cash grants to the most vulnerable families; and The Colombian Family Welfare Institute will build two day-care centres.
Seventy-one of the participating families had received previous business training from IOM and Acción Social and are putting their skills into opening micro enterprises.
According to Acción Social, more than 2.5 million internally displaced people have been registered over the past 11 years.
