InterAction
Member Activity Reports
Action Against Hunger
Air Serv International
American Refugee Committee
Catholic Relief Services
Concern Worldwide US
Direct Relief International
Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières
Food for the Hungry International
International Rescue Committee
Latter-day Saint Charities
MAP International
Oxfam America
Salvation Army World Service Office
US Association for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
World Relief
World Vision
Background
Summary
The Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DR Congo) is the scene of a complex and devastating
war involving seven nations and the Kinshasa regime as well as several
insurgent movements. In 1994 the country, then called Zaire, experienced
an influx of over a million Rwandan refugees across its eastern border.
Fleeing violence and civil conflict in Rwanda, the arrival of the
refugees exacerbated the political instability and ethnic tensions,
which had long been an issue in the provinces of North and South Kivu.
A year later, a number of those who had engineered the genocide in
Rwanda and were now living in Zaire, began once more to instigate
ethnic violence. Members of the former Rwandan Army (ex-FAR) along
with the Hutu militia, Interahamwe, carried out a number of attacks
and raids against Tutsis in the Kivus and within neighboring Rwanda.
In response to then-President Mobutu Sese-Sekou’s inability to stop
these attacks and his suspected complicity in the ethnic violence,
a coalition that came to be known as the AFDL (the Alliance of Democratic
Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire), formed to oust him from
power. This group which included Zairian Tutsis, as well as the Rwandan
and Ugandan governments, supported the anti-Mobutu revolution led
by Laurent Kabila. The AFDL and the Rwandan army mobilized quickly
and carried out a series of attacks against Hutu refugees across the
country. In May 1997 Kabila was appointed president and the country
was renamed the ‘Democratic Republic of the Congo.’
In the months following
his takeover however, Kabila proved unable to stop rebels from Uganda
and Rwanda from using the DR Congo as a base from which to attack
their governments. When it became apparent that the new president
was unable or unwilling to implement planned reforms, or to protect
a group of Congolese Tutsis known as the Banyamulenge from attack,
the AFDL rapidly disintegrated. In August 1998 the powers that had
previously supported Kabila now staged a rebellion against him. Rwanda
and Uganda backed the RCD (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie),
an indigenous rebel group which quickly took over most of the eastern
territories. In response, Kabila’s government turned to neighboring
countries and received support from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad,
Lybia and Sudan. With their support Kabila was able to stop the RCD
advance and maintain control of the western half of the country and
the administrative capital, Kinshasa; he was, however, assassinated
and replaced by his son.
Currently the country remains
effectively split between the government-controlled west, and the
eastern areas, including the Kivus, much of Orientale, and Katanga
and Maniema provinces, which are controlled by the RCD.
These conflicts have created
massive tragedy in what was already one of the poorest countries in
the world. Outside Kinshasa there is little government control, and
the physical infrastructure throughout the country has been severely
damaged. With acute shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, the DR
Congo is in an advanced state of economic collapse.
A recent study indicates
that 2.5 million excess deaths have occurred in the past 3 years in
the Eastern DR Congo. Both rebel and government forces have committed
direct violence against civilians, including rape, torture, abduction
and arbitrary detention. Women and children constitute almost half
of the reported killings. In addition to physical violence, the war
has led to a large number of deaths due to malnutrition and infectious
disease. Studies have shown that areas with the highest rate of mortality
from infectious disease are the same places where the rates of violent
death are highest. It is clear that the economic difficulties and
displacement caused by the fighting are directly related to the excess
deaths. Within the Eastern DR Congo, endemic and epidemic diseases
are widespread, with reported outbreaks of cholera, shigella, meningitis,
and polio. Other preventable illnesses such as malaria, diarrheal
disease and respiratory infections are also responsible for a significant
number of deaths. These deaths from illness reflect the fact that
in the Eastern DR Congo, health and nutrition services have largely
ceased to function. At present many clinics and hospitals have been
robbed or destroyed by combatants, with the majority of health workers
fleeing the region. Those centers that remain open often lack medicine
or other supplies.
Children remain especially
vulnerable to the effects of war. Studies report that a large number
of children under two are missing from the demographic profile, indicating
that there is a 30-40% mortality rate among this age group. In addition,
since the start of the 1996 civil war, a large number of Congolese
children have been forcibly recruited as soldiers by a variety of
armed groups. In addition to their vulnerability to physical violence
and the interruption in their education, many child soldiers who have
been interviewed appear deeply traumatized by acts of violence that
they have witnessed or in which they have participated.
One result of the long
term breakdown of the Congolese State structure has been the development
of an active civil society. A large number of local NGOs, umbrella
organizations and churches have served as important conduits for international
aid. At the same time, many international NGOs report difficulties
working in the Eastern DR Congo due to insecurity and in the west
as a result of government obstructions. Overall, three major problems
identified with NGO operations in the region were: security, logistics,
and resources. Logistical problems include the political problems
in gaining access to certain areas, as well as physical problems involved
in covering such a large country.
The second Kabila government
has worked more sincerely in trying to bring an end to the violence
which has left the country prostrate. The Lusaka Accords, negotiated
in 1999 and outlining a roadmap to an end to the fighting, withdrawal
of foreign forces, and a start on national reconciliation, is no longer
dormant. With the belated assistance of African governments blatantly
ignoring its provisions for years, and western governments hiding
behind an "African solutions for African problems" non-strategy, the
Accords are coming to life fitfully. While still ineffective in many
regions, a cease-fire is in place through major parts of the country.
Some foreign troops have left and others have make commitments to
depart. An UN peacekeeping force is largely in place. And pre-negotiations
over the timing, participants, and venue for an inter-Congolese dialogue
are underway. Foreign donors are increasing funding, although it remains
a fraction of the volume needed to meet emergency needs, let alone
make a start on reconstruction of basic infrastructure.
This Guide offers international
agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media and the
public an overview of the humanitarian assistance being provided to
the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo by InterAction member
agencies.
Thirteen InterAction members
currently conduct relief and development operations in the DR Congo.
Ten sector areas are addressed in programming including agriculture
and food security, business development, disaster and emergency relief,
education, health care, peace and conflict resolution, refugee and
migration services, and water and sanitation.
These humanitarian activities
take place in a number of locations in both the government and rebel
controlled areas of the country. Locations include but are not limited
to, Katanga Province including Bukavu and Moba, Kinshasa, Kasais,
Kisangani, Mbandaka, Uvira, Masina, Lumbashi, Kimpese/Nkondo, Kananga,
and Minembwe territory of South Kivu Province.
The NGOs in this report
have presented various objectives for their projects in DR Congo.
All of them focus on responding to the humanitarian crisis caused
by the civil war. Many organizations are working to respond to immediate
needs with the establishment of feeding centers and supplemental nutrition
programs, as well as attempting to provide health care and combat
the spread of HIV/AIDS. Another common theme among NGOs is the need
to bolster food security to prevent wide-scale famine. Providing assistance
to refugees and IDPs is also a key issue.
Some NGOs in the government
controlled areas work with the government for health and sanitation.
Almost all of them coordinate with other local and international NGOs,
including local churches, hospitals and clinics. Some other organizations
mentioned include WHO, WFP, and a number of other UN agencies.
Organizations
by Sector Activity
|
Agriculture/Food
Security
Action Against Hunger
American Refugee Committee
Catholic Relief Services
Doctors Without Borders/MSF
Food for the Hungry
Latter-day Saint Charities
Salvation Army World Service Office
US Association for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
World Vision
Business Development
International Rescue Committee
US Association for UNHCR
World Vision
Conflict Resolution/Peace Building
Catholic Relief Services
Disaster and Emergency
Relief
Action Against Hunger
Catholic Relief Services
Food for the Hungry
International Rescue Committee
Latter-day Saint Charities
MAP International
Oxfam America
US Association for UNHCR
World Relief
World Vision
Education/Training
American Refugee Committee
Concern Worldwide US
Salvation Army World Service Office
US Association for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
|
Health Care
Action Against Hunger
American Refugee Committee
Catholic Relief Services
Direct Relief International
Doctors Without Borders/MSF
International Rescue Committee
MAP International
Salvation Army World Service Office
US Association for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
World Relief
Infrastructure
Repair
Concern Worldwide US
Food for the Hungry
US Association for UNHCR
Operational Support/Logistics
Air Serv International
US Association for UNHCR
Refugee and Migration
Services
American Refugee Committee
Doctors Without Borders/MSF
International Rescue Committee
Latter-day Saint Charities
Map International
US Association for UNHCR
World Vision
Water and Sanitation
Action Against Hunger
American Refugee Committee
International Rescue Committee
Oxfam America
US Association for UNHCR
US Fund for UNICEF
|
|
Acronym
AAH
ARC
CRS
DRI
FHI
IRC
LDSC
MSF
SAWSO
|
InterAction
Members
Action Against Hunger
American Refugee Committee
Catholic Relief Services
Direct Relief International
Food for the Hungry International
International Rescue Committee
Latter-day Saint Charities
Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)
Salvation Army World Service Office |
Other Acronyms
AFDL
AIDS
BHR
BPRM
CIDA
DR Congo
ECHO
Ex-FAR
FAO
HIV
ICRC
IDP
MONUC
NGO
OCHA
OFDA
RCD
STD
UN
UNDP
UNHCR
UNICEF
UNITA
USAID
USD
WFP
WHO |
Alliance
of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Bureau of Humanitarian Response (USAID)
Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (U.S. State Department)
Canadian International Development Agency
Democratic Republic of the Congo
European Community Humanitarian Office
Members of the former Rwandan Army
Food and Agriculture Organization
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
International Committee of the Red Cross
Internally Displaced Person
United Nations Organization Mission in the DR Congo
Non-Governmental Organization
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN)
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID
Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie
Sexually Transmitted Disease
Unite Nations
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations Children’s Fund
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola
United States Agency for International Development
United States Dollar
World Food Program
World Health Organization |
Action Against Hunger
US Contact
Lucas Van den Broeck
Executive Director
875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1905
New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212- 967-7800
Fax: 212- 967-5480
email: lbr@aah-usa.org
Web: www.aah-usa.org |
Contacts in DR
Congo
Rebel Areas:
Banu Altunbas, Head of Mission
244 Avenue Patrice Lumumba
Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Tel: 250-085- 21- 980
Fax: 871-762-015- 926
email: acfm13@inmarsat.francetelecom.fr
Government Areas: Céline Carré
Head of Mission
Avenue Massamba
Commune de Kintambo
BP 1050, Democratic Republic of Congo
Tel: 243-880-31-56
email: acfusa-kin@maf.org |
Introduction to Action
Against Hunger (AAH)
AAH is an international
network of sister-organizations with headquarters in Paris, Madrid,
London and New York. They intervene in crisis situations to bring
assistance to victims of war and famine. Their approach to emergency
relief is always coupled with long-term objectives to enable the affected
population to regain their self-sufficiency. The AAH strategy integrates
four sectors of intervention. AAH treats malnutrition in feeding centers,
helps to control it through child-growth monitoring and surveys and
seeks to prevent it by education. AAH also tries to reinforce coping
mechanisms by providing the means to increase food production. At
the same time, AAH facilitates the provision of, and access to, safe
drinking water. Finally, AAH also adds a primary health care component
to its programs, including drug supply, training, rehabilitation and
control of epidemics.
Action Against Hunger
in the DR Congo
The goal of AAH in the
DR Congo is to assist the most vulnerable groups affected by the war:
those living in the major urban slums and close to the frontlines.
AAH seeks to address some of the structural problems resulting from
decades of neglect. The organization has two management teams in the
DR Congo: one for projects in the rebel areas and another for those
in government controlled areas.
The management team for
rebel areas is based in Bukavu. In Moba, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika
in the north of Katanga province, AAH assists the local population
with a nutritional program and the revitalization of the health care
system. AAH is the only organization to work in Moba after the war
dispersed most of its population. Supported by project bases in Bujumbura
and Uvira, a nutritional program addresses acute malnutrition in South
Kivu province through therapeutic and supplementary feeding centers.
AAH combines this program with massive distribution of seeds, tools
and in-kind assistance to the fishermen on Lake Tanganyika.
The program in pro-government
areas is managed out of Kinshasa. In the capital itself, AAH runs
a nutritional program and distributes seeds, tools and fishing equipment
to those most in need. The agency also provides technical assistance
to professional agricultural and fishing cooperatives to help them
increase their food production. AAH addresses the water supply of
health centers with a boreholes program and helps to improve sanitation
and water supply in the biggest market places. In Lubumbashi, AAH
is running a program of therapeutic and supplementary feeding centers
complemented by a food security program. In Malemba Nkulu, isolated
and close to the frontline in the north of Katanga, AAH runs a program
to support the health centers and assist the acutely malnourished.
Finally, AAH has a base in Mbandaka, Equateur province where the organization
is working to reinforce fishing cooperatives.
On a national level, AAH
conducts a series of nutritional surveys in those areas that have
become accessible and where high levels of malnutrition are expected.
AAH works with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WFP to establish
a national protocol to address acute malnutrition. AAH is a main FAO
partner in the combat of the Mosaic disease that is affecting the
staple food of manioc.
Air
Serv International
US Contact
6583 Merchant Place, Suite 100
Warrenton, VA 20187
540-428-2323
www.airserv.org |
Field Office
Susan MacGregor
Country Director
C/o Air Serv Limited
PO Box 7548
Kampala, Uganda
Phone: 250-0851-0759
Fax: 256-41-321-343
Email: smacgregor@airserv.org |
Introduction to Air
Serv International
The Air Serv team uses
aircraft and other appropriate technology for relief and development,
restoring hope to the suffering.
Air Serv International
in the DR Congo
Air Serv provides air logistics
support for humanitarian and international organizations working in
eastern DR Congo. Activities include providing over 160 flight hours
monthly using a DHC-6 Twin Otter and Cessna C208 Caravan for urgent
air transport services (cargo and passenger) in the DR Congo and the
Great Lakes region. A third Caravan will arrive by mid-September to
expand our ability to support the growing relief and rehabilitation
effort. Air Serv also provides emergency cargo airlift using existing
or larger aircraft. A recent two-month turbine DC-3 airlift in Katanga
province on behalf of the UN helped prevent severe malnutrition for
over 200,000 displaced and at-risk people in the region. Surveys done
with operational NGOs indicate additional cargo airlift is critically
necessary. Additional funding from donors is necessary to meet this
need as the local infrastructure is rebuilt and local security improves.
These humanitarian flights enhance the capacity and effectiveness
of the relief efforts of NGOs, major donors, and international organizations
as well as provide better security for staff.
Air Serv’s operations in
the DR Congo also support specific urgent health care actions such
as current mass immunization programs. Air Serv also supports refugee/migration/returnee
actions and agricultural and education services. Initial investigation
is underway with the UNHCR, OCHA and the Department of State/BPRM
to explore the possibility of providing direct refugee repatriation
to their points of origin in neighboring countries. AirServ is also
investigating the use of UN Quick Impact funds for the construction
or rehabilitation of landing strips and other local infrastructure
to allow greater accessibility to outlying secure villages.
Operational security remains
a primary concern for aircraft operations. Air Serv works to ensure
that all its aircraft are recognized as humanitarian aid aircraft
not transporting people or cargo that are not directly related to
the relief effort.
The aircraft base of operations
is located in Goma. Program operations are supported by a grant from
OFDA with additional funding provided by UN agencies and regional
NGO partners and Air Serv private funds.
American
Refugee Committee
US
Contact
Mr. Huy S. Pham
Deputy Director, International Programs
430 Oak Grove Street, # 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Tel: 612-872-7060
email: mailto:huyp@archq.org |
Field
Office
Guy Branch, Rwanda Country Director
ARC Rwanda (DRC Program)
BP 2680
Kigali, Rwanda
Tel: 250-514167
Tel/Fax: 250-514166
email: arc@rwandatel1.rwanda1.com |
Introduction to the
American Refugee Committee (ARC)
ARC works for the survival,
health and well being of refugees, displaced persons, and those at
risk, and seeks to enable them to rebuild productive lives of dignity,
striving always to respect the values of those served.
The American Refugee
Committee in the DR Congo
ARC’s overall aim in the
DR Congo is to address the humanitarian needs of the returnees, IDPs
and affected local populations in four localities of the Masisi Region
of North Kivu by decreasing the incidence of disease and malnutrition,
improving basic hygiene and access to potable water and developing
self-reliance through grass roots level capacity-building activities.
ARC is planning to implement
a program to address the basic needs of the IDPs, returnees and local
populations in the Masisi Region of North Kivu by providing health
care education. ARC plans to hire a CHE, 5 Community Health Workers
and 3 Traditional Birth Attendants, and will design and implement
a preventative health education program for schools and the broader
community. ARC is also planning to work to upgrade food security through
a seeds and tools distribution program and by providing training and
technical assistance in agro-forestry practices to promote sustainable
use of the land. Water accessibility and sanitation and hygienic conditions
will also be targeted for improvement during program implementation.
Finally, ARC will seek to build on the community's self-reliance through
training programs in the areas of disease prevention/hygiene, community
organization/project implementation, water systems maintenance and
repair, and sanitation/environmental management. Specific locations
for projects include Matanda, Mushaki, Kirolirwe and Burungu in the
Masisi region of North Kivu. The beneficiaries include 21,757 returnees,
IDP's and local populations, plus local leaders and local NGOs.
ARC plans to collaborate
with MONUC and international agencies working in North Kivu on security
issues in the area. ARC will also be working with OCHA/MONUC on a
fuel-efficient cookstove project and potentially with the Trickle-Up
Foundation for a micro-enterprise project.
Special concerns: with
the full implementation of the 1999 Lusaka agreement still in doubt,
prospects of peace and security remain major issues.
Catholic
Relief Services
US
Contact
Krista Riddley
Catholic Relief Services
209 West Fayette Street
Baltimore MD 21201
Tel: 410- 625-2220 x 3554
email: kriddley@catholicrelief.org |
Contact
in DR Congo
Kevin Hartigan
Country Representative
No. 75 bis, Av. De la Justice
C/o ECZ/SANRU
Kinshasa, Gombe, Democratic Rep. of Congo
Tel: 243-88-46793 or 243-88-03909
email: crscongo@raga.net |
Introduction to Catholic
Relief Services (CRS)
CRS was founded in 1943
by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and
disadvantaged outside the country. It is administered by a Board of
Bishops selected by the National Council of Catholic Bishops and is
staffed by men and women committed to the Catholic Church's apostolate
of helping those in need. It maintains strict standards of efficiency
and accountability.
The fundamental motivating
force in all activities of CRS is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it
pertains to the alleviation of human suffering, the development of
people and the fostering of charity and justice in the world. The
policies and programs of the agency reflect and express the teaching
of the Catholic Church. At the same time, CRS assists persons on the
basis of need, not creed, race or nationality.
CRS gives active witness
to the mandate of Jesus Christ to respond to human needs in the following
ways: by responding to victims of natural and man-made disasters;
by providing assistance to the poor to alleviate their immediate needs;
by supporting self-help programs which involve people and communities
in their own development; by helping those it serves to restore and
preserve their dignity and to realize their potential; by collaborating
with religious and nonsectarian persons and groups of goodwill in
programs and projects which contribute to a more equitable society;
and by helping to educate the people of the United States to fulfill
their moral responsibilities in alleviating human suffering, removing
its causes and promoting social justice.
Catholic Relief Services
in the DR Congo
CRS in the DR Congo works
in emergency preparedness and response, community health, justice
and peace, HIV/AIDS and agriculture. CRS/Congo programs have a total
value of US $3.5 million, and assist approximately 1 million beneficiaries.
All of CRS’ work is done
with and through our local partners, generally the health and social
service agencies of the local Catholic Church. Specific emergency
programs include the following:
Emergency Health in
Sankuru
CRS is providing emergency health services in the vast, remote rebel
held area of Sankuru (the geographic center of the country). This
project includes the provision of emergency medicines (delivered by
cargo plane and then bicycle) and funded by OFDA.
Emergency Health and
Nutrition in Kabinda
CRS provides Emergency health and nutrition services in the semi-besieged,
government-held town of Kabinda. CRS provided the only nutritional
assistance to the town for nearly two years when it was surrounded
on three sides by the rebel lines. Now the rebels have drawn back
and the project is responding to the emergency medical needs of people
emerging from the former war zone. This project is also funded by
OFDA.
Emergency Assistance
to Angolan Refugees in Bas Congo
CRS is providing emergency assistance to 10,000 new Angolan refugees
in Bas Congo, south of Kinshasa. The refugees arrived in August as
a result of renewed fighting between UNITA and the MPLA government
in Northern Angola. CRS is responsible for health care for all the
refugees as well as for the resettlement, education, and provision
of food, seeds, tools, blankets and other assistance to 6,000 of them.
This work is done in coordination with UNHCR, IRC and Oxfam. It is
funded by the UNHCR.
Support to Peace and
Justice Commissions
Support to Peace and Justice Commissions throughout Congo. These commissions
of the Catholic Church are responsible for human rights monitoring,
civic education, legal assistance, conflict resolution and reconciliation.
The project is funded by private agency funds and by European Catholic
Partners.
Flood and Cholera Mitigation
in Kinshasa
CRS has been working for years with the most flood and cholera-prone
communities in the slums of Kinshasa, to improve drainage, sanitation,
fight erosion and improve knowledge of hygiene. This activity is funded
by OFDA and UNDP.
Revitalization of Childhood
Immunization in Bas Congo and the Kasais
These extensive programs aim to re-establish vaccination and other
primary health services in isolated, un-served rural areas. These
programs are funded by USAID.
HIV/AIDS Activities
in Kinshasa
CRS provides care for people living with AIDS in the city of Kinshasa.
This is done with a local women’s group that includes HIV-positive
women among its leaders. The project also supports AIDS education
in schools and campaign activities to fight stigma and denial within
the Kinshasa population. This project is privately funded.
Food Security Programs
CRS runs food security programs in conflict-affected areas of Kabinda,
Mbuji-Mayi and Mbandaka. These activities include training and the
provision of materials to re-establish and/or encourage agriculture
and fishing activities.
Concern
Worldwide US
Introduction to Concern
Worldwide US
Concern Worldwide is a
non-denominational voluntary organization dedicated to the relief,
assistance and advancement of the poorest of the poor in the least
developed countries of the world. We believe in a world where no one
lives in poverty, or fear or oppression; where all have access to
a decent standard of living and the opportunities and choices essential
to a long healthy and creative life; where everyone is treated with
equal dignity and respect.
Our mission statement is
to enable absolutely poor people to achieve major improvements in
their lives which are sustainable without ongoing support from Concern.
To this end we will work with the poor themselves and with local and
international partners who share our vision to create just and peaceful
societies where the poor can exercise their fundamental rights.
To achieve our mission,
the organization responds to people in a caring and personalized manner
that emphasizes their human and cultural dignity; is prepared to work
effectively in the most difficult of circumstances with poor people;
forms alliances and working arrangements with other organizations
and government bodies; balances enthusiasm and necessary risk-taking
with prudent judgement and a professional approach; uses creativity
and pragmatism in the face of obstacles to its work; engages in long
term development work, responds to emergency situations, and undertakes
development education and advocacy on those aspects of world poverty
which require national or international action.
At the heart of Concern's
operations throughout the world is a spirit of enthusiasm and shared
commitment on the part of all its personnel. This spirit is also given
expression by the enthusiasm and dedication of volunteers and supporters
both at home and overseas
Concern in the DR Congo
Concern's emergency intervention
in the DR Congo began in 1994 with the provision of essential humanitarian
services for refugees including food, potable water, and proper sanitation.
Following the repatriation of refugees in 1997, Concern's focus shifted
to working with local communities committed to rebuilding their social
and civic infrastructure despite the hardships inflicted upon them
by Congo's civil strife. Concern has been careful to support programs
and projects that retain their functionality even within the ever-changing
social and political contexts that comprise war-torn Congo. A key
to Concern's sustainable methodology has been its commitment educational
initiatives and school reconstruction efforts.
Concern’s program in the
DR Congo aims to reverse the disastrous collapse in the primary education
system brought about by successive crises of violence, political upheaval,
and huge population displacements. In the last three years Concern
has renovated 8 schools in and around Goma, North Kivu and we plans
to complete work in 6 more schools during 2001.
The program budget for
2001 is 218,000 USD. The six schools renovated this year will serve
a total of 3,462 children, taught by 59 teachers. The rebuilding program
is being carried out in partnership with parents, teachers, and school
administrators who have struggled to keep the schools open in recent
years through their own initiative. The program is run from the Concern
office in Goma, with management support from Kigali.
Direct
Relief International
Introduction to Direct
Relief International (DRI)
DRI’s principal activity
is the provision of essentially-needed and specifically-requested
medical goods to health care facilities and projects throughout the
world. These partner institutions and programs range in size from
one-person health outreach initiatives to multi-service community
clinics or central referral hospitals with national draws. The primary
factor which unites all of DRI’s recipients is that each institution
or organization is providing quality medical services to the local
population on a charitable basis regardless of its clientele's nationality,
political affiliation, religious beliefs, ethnic identity or ability
to pay. By trusting that the inhabitants of a community possess the
greatest expertise and motivation to reform their own environment,
and by providing support for effective indigenously-managed health
care facilities and projects, DRI assists only in situations where
its efforts will strengthen self-sufficiency in lieu of dependence.
Direct Relief International
in the DR Congo
In DR Congo, DRI provides
medical goods including pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements,
medical/surgical supplies and medical equipment based on needs lists
submitted by physicians and other health care providers and facility
administrators. Assistance is directed to 5 rural hospitals supported
by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kikwit, which provides material as
well as spiritual services to thousands of people throughout the diocese.
Over the past three years,
Direct Relief has supplied a total of 2626 lbs of medical goods with
a wholesale value of 180,820 USD to the Diocese of Kikwit for distribution
to Mosango General Hospital and other rural hospitals for which it
is responsible.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
US Contacts
Antoine Gerard
6 East 39th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10016
212-679-6800
doctors@newyork.msf.org
www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Introduction to Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
MSF delivers emergency
aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made
disasters, and to others who lack health care due to social or geographical
isolation.
Doctors Without Borders
in the DR Congo
The first MSF intervention
in DR Congo (then Zaire) was in 1981.
The health system of the
DR Congo is in tatters after years of war and government neglect.
The Congolese people are threatened by displacement, death from the
ongoing civil war and are exposed to diseases that are already under
control or eradicated elsewhere in the world. The most basic health
care services are lacking in many areas, and even where health care
is available, access to health care is in many cases impossible for
populations living in insecure or remote locations. The insecure situation
also hampers the provision of humanitarian assistance. This was underscored
in April 2001 when six Red Cross workers were killed in Orientale
province. To protest the brutal act, MSF suspended its programs in
the country for three days. MSF works in both government- and rebel-held
territory on a wide variety of medical programs.
Fighting Disease
MSF works against a variety of diseases, including measles, tuberculosis,
cholera and meningitis. In June 2000, a pilot HIV/AIDS project began
in Bukavu, and MSF hopes to open an AIDS treatment center in Kinshasa
in fall 2001. Two sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in Kinshasa,
the capital, see about 30,000 people a year, and STD work also takes
place at an additional 22 health centers in Kinshasa and 15 in Lubumbashi,
in Katanga province. In South Equateur province, MSF runs a sleeping
sickness screening and treatment program where 60,000 people were
screened in 2000. MSF is looking at starting a similar program in
Kinshasa. MSF also responded to cholera epidemics in Pweto, in Katanga
province, and in the region of Kabalo, in Katanga province.
District Health
MSF supports district health care in several provinces by aiding the
health structures that make up a health zone, usually a reference
hospital and the clinics and health posts that feed into it, covering
about 100,000 people. Activities include supplying medicine, supervising
and training health staff, ensuring vaccinations and prenatal care,
carrying out epidemiological surveillance, and improving water and
sanitation practices and facilities. For the last several years, MSF
has assisted nearly 30 health zones scattered in Equateur, Katanga,
Bas Congo, Kisangani, Bukavu, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
MSF began work in Bandundu province in September 2000, and at Dungu
hospital in North Oriental province in March 2001.
Nutrition
Over the last two and half years, MSF has provided intensive (therapeutic)
nutritional care in Kisangani to over 10,000 children, and supplementary
care to over 17,000 children. Because the situation in that area has
improved, this program will gradually be phased out. In Kitshanga,
in
North Kivu, MSF has been
running a therapeutic feeding center in September 2000 and is now
operating two supplementary feeding centers in other locations in
North Kivu. In Basankusu in Equater Province where fighting and displacement
took place, MSF opened a therapeutic feeding center in October 2000.
As of July 2001, more than 1,500 children had been treated.
Displaced Persons and
Refugees
There are an estimated two million Congolese displaced inside Congo,
many of them outside the reach of aid workers. MSF aids 3,500 Congolese
(returning from Angola, Central African Republic and Sudan) in a camp
in Sicotra, near Kinshasa. MSF also assists Angolan refugees in a
camp in Kimpese, in Bas Congo province. The situation in that area
has stabilized, and MSF hopes to finish work by the end of 2001. In
July MSF teams responded to the influx of refugees from the Central
African Republic who fled across the river to Zongo. Teams set up
health posts and conducted vaccinations of the refugees.
Food
for the Hungry International
US
Contacts
Bard Letsinger
7729 East Greenway Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Tel: 480-609-7773
email: bardl@fh.org |
Contact
in DR Congo
Merry Fitzpatrick
254-2-449-15 |
Introduction to Food
for the Hungry International (FHI)
FHI is an International
relief and development agency of Christian motivation, helping the
poor in more than 30 countries to overcome hunger and poverty. Through
integrated self-development and relief programs, FHI helps those who
are affected by natural disasters such as floods, famines, and earthquakes,
as well as those affected by war, hunger and poverty.
Food for the Hungry
International in the DR Congo
The agency's general objectives
in the DR Congo are to increase food security in selected regions
of South Kivu and Katanga provinces.
FHI has been active in
the DR Congo since June 1997, working to improve the capacity and
willingness of local leaders, churches, families and organizations
to solve the problems of their communities, and to increase the overall
food security in eastern Congo.
FHI has also worked with
other NGO’s nutritional centers to plant communal gardens which assist
orphanages, nutritional centers, centers for the physically disabled,
widows, and women's groups.
FHI works extensively with
local organizations and committees for distributions and seed multiplication
projects. Where applicable, FHI also works through local communities
for infrastructure rehabilitation. As agriculture is only one aspect
of many in food security, and as FHI is only one agency among several
working in food security, FHI closely coordinates with other international
NGOs.
Funding sources include
USAID/OFDA, UNOCHA and private sources. FHI is in the process of securing
funding for several programs, including the following:
Seed and Tool Distribution
Project in South Kivu and Katanga
FHI is securing funding
for a seed and tool distribution project serving 25,000 families (125,000-150,000
persons) in South Kivu and northern Katanga provinces. The types of
seed and tools are expected to vary according to the needs of the
population in the different areas. The total budget, including commodities,
amounts to 990,000 USD.
Providing Support for
Returnees
The objective of this project is to provide basic equipment, tools,
organization and transport of housing in order to facilitate the return
of 5,000 families. FHI plans to enact this program on a community-wide
basis, not simply targeting individual families, in attempts to rebuild
entire community structures.
Infrastructure Rehabilitation
in South Kivu and Katanga
FHI plans to target at least 12 communities for such projects as repair
of irrigation systems, water pumps or mills.
FHI is engaged in cooperative
efforts with other local, international or governmental agencies:
USAID/OFDA, World Relief, Nuova Frontiera, Action Contre Faim-USA,
local government officials and local church officials
Special Concerns:
Continued pressure by the international community to insure that all
sides fulfill their agreements in pulling out troops remains a concern.
Another concern is security
around Bukavu. Tension is building between the Interhamwe and the
Rwandan Army as both sides build up troops and show increased activity.
International Rescue Committee
US
Contacts
John Keys
Regional Director for the Great Lakes
Tel: 212-551-3121
email: jkeys@theIRC.org
Marnie Davidoff
Program Specialist for the Great Lakes
Tel: 212- 551-3058
email: marnie@theIRC.org
International Rescue Committee
122 E 42nd St, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10168-1289 |
Field Offices
Michael Despines Representative, eastern DRC Programs
BP 2961
Kigali, Rwanda
Cell Phone: 250- 0830-2184
Sat Phone: 871-761-274-690
email: cdirccongo@compuserve.com
Werner Vansant Representative,
western DRC Programs
Kinshasa – Gombe
IRC Kinshasa
34 Ave. Pumbu, Democratic Rep. of Congo AfriTel: 243- 780- 2088
email:irckinrep@ic.cd
|
Introduction to the
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Founded in 1933, the IRC
is a leading nonsectarian, voluntary organization providing relief,
protection, and resettlement services for refugees and victims of
oppression or violent conflict. The IRC is committed to freedom, human
dignity and self-reliance. This commitment is reflected in well-planned,
global emergency relief, rehabilitation, resettlement assistance and
advocacy for refugees.
The IRC implements programs
in the government held areas of western DR Congo and in the rebel-held
areas of eastern DR Congo. The program in the west, serving the population
in government held territory, has its headquarters in Kinshasa. The
Kinshasa office oversees field offices in Kimpese, Bas Congo Province
and in Kananga, Kasai Occidentale Province. The eastern DR Congo program,
serving populations in rebel held territory has its headquarters in
Bukavu, South Kivu Province. The Bukavu office oversees a field office
located in Kisangani, Orientale Province.
The International Rescue
Committee in Western DR Congo
The IRC/Kinshasa office
works to provide relief and protection for Angolan refugees and Congolese
internally displaced populations, and to cooperate with the government
and other national and international organizations on the reconstruction
and development of the country.
IRC’s specific programs
include: assistance to IDPs; urban environmental health, and business
development in Kinshasa. In Kimpese/Nkondo IRC has programs providing
assistance to Angolan refugees. And in Kananga, IRC is working in
urban environmental health, urban water supply, and business development.
Assistance to IDPs is carried
out in partnership with the local Red Cross, three other local NGOs,
and the national government agency responsible for oversight of IDP
activities. These programs assist 1,415 beneficiaries, with a program
value of 399,735 USD.
Assistance to Angolan refugees
is carried out in partnership with the UNHCR. These programs have
a beneficiary population of 11,200 refugees, with a program value
of 1,608,449 USD.
Urban environmental health,
urban water supply, and business development programs are implemented
in partnership with 11 different local NGOs and individual entrepreneurs.
These programs assist 159,120 beneficiaries with a program value of
550,000 USD. Funding for these programs is provided by OFDA, USAID,
the State Department Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration,
and UNHCR.
Issues that impact all
programs in the DR Congo are those of mobility and access. The mobility
of expatriates to most provinces is tightly controlled by the DR Congo
government. This presents some problems of access to ongoing programs
and makes it nearly impossible for the IRC to reach many needy populations
that are not currently being served.
International Rescue
Committee Serving Eastern DR Congo
The goal of IRC/Eastern
DR Congo is to respond to humanitarian needs while working with and
supporting local initiatives for long-term solutions. Programs focus
on disaster and emergency relief, primary health care, water, sanitation,
and shelter.
In Katana health zone,
IRC Bukavu is supporting 32 health centers serving 330,000 people
with essential primary health care (providing drugs, staff training,
indigent patient support, etc.). In Kabare health zone, IRC Bukavu
is supporting 16 health centers providing 130,000 people access to
essential primary health care. In both health zones IRC Bukavu is
rehabilitating rural water systems, providing emergency water and
shelter assistance to displaced persons and conducting essential rehabilitation
to the health infrastructure.
IRC Bukavu is also implementing
an Umbrella Grant Project that provides grants to local and international
NGOs to address humanitarian needs in Eastern DR Congo. The project
also provides training and mentoring to local NGOs to increase local
capacity and self-sufficiency.
IRC Kisangani is supporting
20 health centers in Lubunga health zones serving 133,000 people.
This office is also working to assure adequate water and sanitation
facilities at health centers in the zone. Finally, the project is
providing training, chemicals, and supplies to the three reference
laboratories serving the city of Kisangani (population of 600,000).
OFDA is the primary donor and the total program value is currently
6,000,000 USD.
The major challenge faced
by the IRC in this region is that many sites are inaccessible due
to insecurity. Greater international pressure is needed on local governments
and militias to allow the humanitarian community safe and regular
access to these areas. In addition, greater logistical capacity is
required. The capacity of the humanitarian assistance charter plane
service (Air Serv) needs to be significantly increased, including
increasing the number of passenger flights and adding a cargo plane
to the roster.
Latter-day
Saint Charities
US Contact
Wade Sperry
50 E North Temple Street
Seventh Floor
Salt Lake City UT 84150
Tel: 801-240-1201
email: SperryWJ@ldschurch.org |
Field Office
Georges Bonnet
Administration Office - Africa West
PO Box 2585
Accra, Ghana, West Africa
Tel: 011-233-21-503212
email: BonnetGA@ldschurch.org |
Introduction to Latter-day
Saint Charities (LDSC)
LDSC has a three-fold mission:
1) to relieve suffering by providing relief to people temporarily
deprived of the means to sustain life or of basic necessities; 2)
to strengthen the capacities of individuals and families for productivity
and self-reliance through opportunities for increased knowledge, skills,
and resources; and 3) to build the capacities of communities and institutions
to serve others by providing goods, services, training, and financial
assistance. Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, LDSC enables church members and others to render appropriate
charitable assistance through a professionally managed entity in many
countries of the world.
Unique in its support structure,
LDSC has access to the developed resources of the church, which include
food production and processing, grain storage, vocational rehabilitation
and employment, donated used clothing and social services. LDSC works
both independently and in cooperation with other charitable relief
and development organizations (international and indigenous) in meeting
the relief and self-reliance needs of deprived populations.
Latter-day Saint Charities
in the DR Congo
LDSC programs in the DR
Congo focus on the areas of agriculture and food production, disaster
and emergency relief, and refugee and migration Services. Project
activities include the distribution of seeds and educational supplies,
and providing donations of powdered milk and clothing for needy individuals
and displaced refugees. Projects are located in Uvira, Lubumbashi,
Kinshasa, and Masina. LDSC works in cooperation with other local,
international, and governmental agencies including TechnoServe, International
Christian Aid Canada, American Red Cross, and PARCO.
The total value of assistance
is 1.6 million USD.
MAP
International
US Contact
Suzanne Baroody
Public Relations Director
MAP International
PO Box 215000
Brunswick, GA 31521
Tel: 912-280-6602
Fax: 912-265-6170
email: sbaroody@map.org
Introduction to MAP International
MAP is one of the leading
providers of donated essential medicines and medical supplies for
hospitals, clinics, outposts, pharmacies and orphanages in developing
countries. Since1954, MAP International has promoted the Total Health
of people living in the world’s poorest communities through the provision
of essential medicines, the prevention and eradication of disease,
and the promotion of community health development. MAP is a primary
provider of donated medicines and medical supplies throughout the
world, and is a leader in the development of standards for the use
of essential, donated medicines. Efforts to eradicate disease focus
on the five major causes of death among children under five: pneumonia;
diarrhea; measles; malaria and malnutrition.
MAP meets its broad programmatic
goals through indigenous health education programs and leadership
development training. HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Latin America
and Africa utilize grass roots, church and school-based programs for
orphan support, home visitation, and community outreach. MAP’s programs
lessen the dependence of indigenous communities on outside agencies
by encouraging and enhancing self-sufficiency.
MAP International in
the DR Congo
Ongoing conflicts within
the DR Congo and neighboring countries have resulted in hundreds of
thousands of refugees and IDPs, and the death of millions more, despite
the signing of the Lusaka (Zambia) cease-fire agreement in the latter
part of 1999.
For nearly 40 years, MAP
International has assisted the people of the DR Congo (formerly Zaire),
in the areas of disaster and emergency relief, health care, and refugee
and migration services. The goal of our current operation is to cooperate
with other local, international and non-governmental agencies to enhance
their ability to provide free, accessible and sustainable medical
services for the most vulnerable refugees and internally displaced
people, including children (under age five) and pregnant women.
These medical services
will address the most prevalent health problems: childhood preventable
diseases, malaria, epidemics and water-related diseases (cholera and
dysentery), tuberculosis, anemia, respiratory infections, and HIV/AIDS
and sexually transmitted diseases.
Within the past six months,
nearly one million (WSV) in medicines and medical hospital supplies
have been provided through MAP International’s container and travel
pack (pre-packaged medicines) program. These essential medicines and
medical supplies are being used to address the urgent needs of over
21 health clinics and health outposts, including Sendwe General Hospital,
Lumbumbashi; DACO General Hospital, Likasi; and Mwangeji General Hospital,
in Kolwezi. These three general hospitals are the largest public charitable
medical institutions in the Katanga Province.
Immediate plans include
the delivery of an additional container shipment of essential medicines,
over the counter drugs, and medical hospital supplies, to Baptist
World Aid, and other partner agencies as requested.
MAP International’s programs
are heavily dependent upon donations from corporations, churches and
individuals. MAP’s relief and ongoing programs in DR Congo, as well
as other relief and development programs, depend upon urgently needed
funding.
Oxfam America
US
Contact
Adrienne Leicester Smith
Oxfam America
26 West Street
Boston, MA 02111-1206
617-728-2406
asmith@oxfamamerica.org |
Contact
in DR Congo
Anneke Van Woudenberg
Program Representative
Head office in DR Congo
Avenue de la Justice 75
Face Commune de la Gombe
Kinshasa 1, Democratic Republic of Congo
Tel: 243-991-6259-8803237
Sat Phone: 871 76206645
email: oxfam-kinprog@raga.net |
Introduction to Oxfam
Oxfam America is dedicated
to creating lasting solutions to hunger, poverty, and social injustice
through long-term partnerships with poor communities around the world.
As a privately funded organization, we can speak with conviction and
integrity as we challenge the structural barriers that foster conflict
and human suffering and limit people from gaining the skills, resources,
and power to become self-sufficient.
Oxfam America envisions
a world in which all people shall one day know freedom - freedom to
achieve their fullest potential and to live secure from the dangers
of hunger, deprivation, and oppression - through the creation of a
global movement for economic and social justice.
Oxfam in the DR Congo
Oxfam has been present
in the DR Congo for nearly 40 years. Since 1994, much of the support
it has provided has been emergency based, in response to the growing
level of humanitarian need. Currently, Oxfam helps more than 500,000
vulnerable people - many of them displaced by the fighting - to meet
their public health needs. Our projects focus on providing water and
sanitation, and hygiene promotion in all parts of the DRC. Oxfam America
seeks lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and social injustice worldwide.
Oxfam has offices in Kinshasa,
Goma, Bukavu, Bunia, Kindu, Kirotshe, Kisangani and Mbuji-Mayi.
Salvation
Army World Service Office
US Contact
Harden White
SAWSO
615 Slaters Lane
PO Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313
Tel: 703-684-5528
Fax: 703-684-5536
email: Harden_White@usn.salvationarmy.org |
Contact
in DR Congo
Robin Dunster
Ave. Ebea 23
BP 8636
Kinshasa-Gombe, Democratic Rep. of Congo
Tel: 21606
Telcel: 243- 88-40027/28 |
Note: the summary for SAWSO was last updated December 2000.
Introduction to Salvation
Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
SAWSO’s mission is to preach
the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in his name without
discrimination.
SAWSO in DR Congo
In DR Congo, SAWSO is currently
refocusing its work from the traditional institutional approach to
a community-based approach. SAWSO is a major provider of health and
education within the country, working in 25 rural and urban health
clinics, 71 secondary schools, and 117 primary schools. In addition,
SAWSO operates a vocational training program for the handicapped,
an agro-forestry program, and works extensively to provide food and
shelter for individuals displaced because of war. SAWSO works in the
following areas: Bas-Fleuve and Ocean, Inkisi, Kananga, Kasangulu,
Kinshasa, Kisangani, Luozi, Mbanza-Ngungu, and Sub-Katanga (Lubumbashi).
SAWSO works closely with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry
of Health.
More than 60,000 people
attend the Army's schools and over 300,000 people benefit from their
health services. Programs are funded by private donations from the
US, Canada and the UK and by the Swiss Government. Special concerns
include the lack of infrastructure, limited funding, and security.
US
Association for UNHCR
US
Contact
Nicole Epting
USA for UNHCR
1775 K Street, NW Suite 290
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 202-296-1115
Fax: 202-296-1081
email: nepting@usaforunhcr.org |
Contact
in DR Congo
M'siri Kalassa, Public Information Assistant
UNHCR Regional Office for Central Africa
BP 7248
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Email: codki@unhcr.ch
Email: Kalassa@unhcr.ch
Tel: 243.880.6238 |
Introduction to the
United States Association for UNHCR (USA for UNHCR)
USA for UNHCR was created
to assist the efforts of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Its mission is to build support in the United States for UNHCR through
education and advocacy on behalf of those who are forced to flee because
of fear of persecution. USA for UNHCR's goals are to educate the American
people about the work of UNHCR, to disseminate information concerning
the needs and circumstances of refugees, and to raise private funds
for UNHCR's programs.
UNHCR in the DR Congo
UNHCR's general objectives
in the DR Congo are to provide protection and basic assistance to
refugees from Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda,
Sudan and Uganda, and for urban refugees in Kinshasa; to assist and
facilitate the safe return of refugees to and from the DR Congo by
establishing or reactivating Tripartite Agreements between the refugees’
countries of origin, the countries of asylum and UNHCR; to develop
and reinforce local settlement initiatives for refugees from Angola,
Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda, paying special attention to the
needs of women, children and adolescents and preserving the environment;
and to reinforce the capacity of UNHCR and its partners to respond
effectively to complex humanitarian crises of a regional nature.
UNHCR has offices in Kinshasa,
Aru, Bukavu, Goma, Kahemba, Kimpese, Kisenge, Lubumbashi, Matadi,
Mbanza-Ngungu, and Mbuji Mayi. UNHCR is providing assistance to 190,000
Angolans, 75,000 Sudanese, 30,000 Rwandans, 21,000 Burundians, 10,000
Ugandans, 3,000 Congolese, 3,600 urban refugees, and many returnees.
Angolan Refugees
The influx of Angolan refugees continued throughout 2000. An estimated
23,000 new arrivals were accommodated in refugee camps in Bandundu,
Bas-Congo and Katanga
Provinces. Access
to these areas, however, was often restricted for security reasons.
There are at present some 173,000 Angolan refugees in the DR Congo
and UNHCR is assisting 106,000 of them to integrate locally. Voluntary
repatriation is not a realistic option at present for most of these
refugees because of the ongoing conflict in Angola. UNHCR will nevertheless
counsel and assist an estimated 5,000 refugees who may opt for voluntary
repatriation in 2001. UNHCR plans to continue its assistance and local
settlement programmes with the purpose of helping refugees gradually
to achieve self-sufficiency. Nutritional surveys will be undertaken
at all the refugee sites in Katanga and Bas-Congo provinces. Vaccination
campaigns will be carried out. Special attention will be paid to the
needs of women and children (who constitute the vast majority of refugees).
In collaboration with UNICEF, UNHCR plans to continue to implement
a reproductive health programme, which provides pregnant women with
health kits. In order to strengthen the role of women in community
affairs, courses and seminars will be conducted for them. Women’s
groups will be encouraged and supported and women will benefit from
courses in basic management skills and other disciplines. Micro-finance
projects will be undertaken and refugee families will receive agricultural
tools to increase their self-sufficiency. Agricultural activities
will also benefit the local communities living nearby. With UNHCR’s
assistance, children will continue to receive primary and secondary
education and schools in the refugee camps will receive furniture
and teaching materials. Environmental awareness will be introduced
into the school curriculum. Vocational training will be offered to
those not attending school. Vulnerable refugees will be helped through
community-based development activities.
Burundi Refugees
An estimated 19,000 Burundi refugees remain scattered in the forests
of South Kivu. To address their needs, UNHCR is seeking to reactivate
the existing Tripartite Agreement, which permits access to them for
the purpose of providing assistance and facilitating eventual repatriation.
In 2001, an estimated 5,000 new refugees are expected to arrive in
the DR Congo from Burundi. UNHCR will continue to impress upon the
de facto authorities in rebel-held territories the need to ensure
the refugees’ security and respect their rights. In 2001, UNHCR plans
to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of some 3,000 Burundi refugees.
A local settlement programme will be implemented for the remaining
refugees to help them become self-sufficient. Seeds and agricultural
tools will be distributed and micro-finance projects implemented.
Priority will be given to female heads of families. Reproductive health
activities will be initiated and efforts made to prevent sexual violence
through information campaigns. Whenever possible, UNHCR will help
to reunite unaccompanied minors with their families, and monitor those
living with foster families.
Congolese (Republic
of the Congo) Refugees
The ongoing repatriation of refugees from the Republic of the Congo
is expected to continue in 2001. UNHCR will continue to inform them
about conditions at home and to encourage their voluntary repatriation.
It is expected that Kimaza camp will close at the end of 2001. Those
residents who do not wish to repatriate will undergo an individual
refugee status determination process. Refugees living on their own
who do not approach UNHCR for protection or assistance will be considered
fully integrated.
Rwandan Refugees
An estimated 50,000 Rwandans live in various locations in the DR Congo.
UNHCR will continue to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of those
who decide to return home. Up to 20,000 Rwandan refugees are expected
to repatriate in 2001. UNHCR also plans to assist some 1,400 Rwandans
in Mbuji-Mayi to settle locally. Adequate shelter will be constructed
and basic health services and potable water provided.
Sudanese Refugees
There are an estimated 70,000 Sudanese refugees in the DR Congo. As
these are long-staying refugees located in fertile agricultural areas,
UNHCR will implement a local settlement programme to consolidate their
integration and self-sufficiency. The programme will also benefit
local communities. Assistance will focus on water, health, education,
agriculture and income generation. A range of micro-finance projects
will be established and new farming techniques introduced. Training
and awareness workshops will be organised for refugee communities
to promote gender equality. Skills training for women will be developed,
as well as vocational courses for adolescents. Those not involved
in formal or informal education will be encouraged to join income-generating
programmes. The education of girls will receive special attention
and teachers will be made more aware of the educational needs of girls.
To promote reforestation, tree nurseries and environmental education
programmes will continue. Active community-based care of elderly,
handicapped and other vulnerable refugees will be promoted through
training and income-generating activities. In 2001, UNHCR will assist
up to 1,000 north Sudanese refugees to repatriate. The refugees will
be helped with transport, informed about conditions in their areas
of origin and receive a reintegration package.
Ugandan Refugees
Due to insecurity, UNHCR has been unable to reach the estimated 13,000
Ugandan refugees in Irumu, Beni and Boga. As soon as it succeeds in
securing access to them, UNHCR will assess their needs and search
for appropriate durable solutions for them. It is expected that up
to 3,000 of these refugees will repatriate spontaneously when security
conditions improve in Uganda.
Urban Refugees
UNHCR plans to provide basic assistance to some 3,800 urban refugees
living in Kinshasa. Basic accommodation will be provided for refugee
women and their families. Regular home visits will be undertaken and
counseling and guidance provided. Urban refugee children will attend
government schools wherever possible and receive help with school
fees. Urban refugees will receive medical care in local health facilities.
Disabled and other refugees with special needs will be cared for through
existing national structures and receive individual support to reduce
dependence. Public awareness campaigns will be conducted to combat
xenophobia. Resettlement opportunities will be pursued for individual
refugees.
Returnees
Repatriation remains the best solution for refugees from the DRC living
in neighboring countries. UNHCR will actively support local and national
initiatives to promote repatriation and reintegration. Whenever possible,
returnees will receive an assistance package containing essential
items. In view of the slow progress of the peace and reconciliation
process and the state of the economy and infrastructure in the DR
Congo, no immediate phasing-out of UNHCR activities is anticipated.
The repatriation programme will therefore continue beyond 2001. UNHCR
will continue to advocate inter-agency cooperation in the rehabilitation
of infrastructure, facilities and services in areas of return.
UNHCR will continue to
initiate and participate in inter-agency missions in order to gain
a deeper understanding of the situation on the ground and ensure more
efficient co-ordination of activities in areas of concern to UNHCR.
Operational co-ordination will continue with other UN agencies such
as WFP, FAO, UNICEF and WHO. The Joint Emergency Humanitarian Intervention
approach developed by the UN agencies will be tested and, if successful,
expanded. UNHCR will co-operate with the central Government and with
various local authorities and work with ten NGOs and three other partners.
The close contacts developed during the initial deployment phase of
the United Nations Observer Mission in the DR Congo (MONUC) will be
strengthened. UNHCR will coordinate its activities with the ICRC and
exchange all relevant information.
The operational environment
in the DR Congo continues to be marked by insecurity and widespread
violence. Obtaining unhindered access to areas hosting refugees, or
indeed ensuring the security of humanitarian staff, constitute major
challenges. UNHCR is deeply concerned that, if hostilities reach the
immediate vicinity of refugee camps, it would be impossible to provide
effective security for the refugees. The delivery of humanitarian
assistance continues to be hampered by logistical, security and bureaucratic
constraints: transport infrastructure is almost non-existent, government
authorization is needed to travel anywhere in the country, and access
to certain areas is still forbidden. An additional constraint is the
use by the UN of an imposed exchange rate for the Congolese franc,
which results in inflated operational costs. The fulfillment of UNHCR’s
protection mandate is undermined by suspicion towards refugees from
countries involved in regional conflicts. Basic human rights continue
to be violated by all sides with impunity, causing immense suffering
to refugees and the local population.
US Fund for UNICEF
US
Contact
Public Information Office
US Fund for UNICEF
333 East 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212- 686-5522
email: information@unicefusa.org
Website: www.unicefusa.org |
Contact
in DR Congo
UNICEF
BP 7248
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo |
Introduction to the US Fund for UNICEF
The US Fund for UNICEF
works for the survival, protection and development of children worldwide
through education, advocacy and fund-raising.
UNICEF in the DR Congo
For the year 2001, over
15 million USD has been requested for programs in DR Congo. Programs
include primary health care and immunization, nutrition, water and
sanitation, and basic education in emergencies. UNICEF is also supporting
the demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers and street
children.
Primary Health Care,
Immunization, and Nutrition
UNICEF is providing health kits, essential drugs, and medical equipment
to health centers. UNICEF continues to monitor polio immunizations.
UNICEF also continues to monitor the nutritional status of children
and treat those who are malnourished at health centers.
Education
UNICEF is providing school-in-a-box kits (a portable and compact set
of school supplies) to children in schools around the country. In
addition, UNICEF has distributed materials for
Psycho-social therapy activities
and sports and recreation. Plans for increasing support to schools
and teachers in eastern DRC are underway.
Water and Sanitation
UNICEF is providing water purification tablets, jerry cans (collapsible
water containers that hold about 2.6 gallons of potable water) and
water system repair kits. UNICEF has also provided chlorine supplies
(for water purification) to the Medical University of Kisangani.
Demobilization and Reintegration
of Child Soldiers and Street Children
UNICEF has been active in helping the government develop its policy
on the demobilization of child soldiers and in providing psycho-social
support for former child soldiers and street children. Family reunification
activities are on-going for children who have been separated from
their parents also.
UNICEF programs are carried
out in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Sanitation, the
Government of DR Congo, WHO, WFP, UNDP, UNESCO, Caritas and local
NGOs, including women’s groups and development agencies.
World
Relief
US
Contact
Arne Bergstrom
Vice-President for International Ministries
450 Gundersen Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel: 630-665-0235
Fax: 630-665-4473
email: abergstrom@wr.org |
Regional
Contact
Dr. Galen Carey, Africa Regional Director
P.O. Box 24345,
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-2-882148
email: gcarey@wr.org |
Note: the summary for
the World Relief was last updated December 2000.
Introduction to World
Relief
World Relief is the international
assistance arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. The mission
of World Relief is to work with the church in alleviating human suffering
worldwide in the name of Christ.
World Relief in DR Congo
World Relief works with
local churches and denominations to meet the needs of fractured communities
and displaced people within the DR Congo. Programs focus on disaster
relief and health care in Kivu Province, eastern DR Congo and in Ubangi
Region of Equateur Province. In Kivu, World Relief’s efforts in health
care are closely coordinated with a local church group. In Equateur,
World Relief’s efforts are coordinated with a church denomination
in the USA, a local church community in Ubangi, DR Congo, and USAID.
In Equateur programs benefit
40,800 children under 2 years of age, with a program value of 169,880
USD. In Kivu programs benefit 3,000 IDPs and 1,500 members of the
local population, with a program value of 50,000 USD. Funding sources
include individual donors, denominational partners, and OFDA.
World Vision
US Contact
Elaine Bole
Media Relations Manager
World Vision United States – DC
220 I Street, NE
Suite 270
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: 202-608-1842
Fax: 202-542-4834
Ebole@worldvision.org |
Contacts in DR
Congo
David Kayombo Ntambwe,National Director
World Vision DR Congo |
