Congo Crisis
Fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has forced an estimated 250,000 civilians to flee their homes. Thousands are in need of assistance as insecurity continues.
Mweramana noticed her son had lost one of his shoes. She spoke to him in their native language, Kinyabwisha, but he didn’t respond. The look on Dieume’s face was apathetic—more than I thought possible for a toddler.—Blog from Goma
IRC teams have:
- distributed 850 fuel-efficient stoves to displaced women in Nzulu Camp in Masisi territory as part of an IRC programme to prevent sexual assaults that frequently occur when women leave camps to collect firewood;
- distributed sanitary kits to 9,000 women and girls of reproductive age in Kibati camps;
- distributed firewood to 11,000 families (55,000 people) in and around Kibati displaced persons camp to provide fuel for cooking and warmth and to mitigate the risk of violence to women and girls who would otherwise have to seek resources outside the camp (see the BBC's report);
- provided water and sanitation activities at six main sites to benefit up to 114,000 people including building and improving water supplies, and constructing latrines and showers; and
- worked to prevent the spread of cholera through spraying and disinfection at three sites hosting 48,000 people.
The IRC has worked in DR Congo since 1996 and is a leader in providing critical health and emergency response services to those displaced by violence, as well as addressing the crisis of sexual violence and working with Congolese to build their future through education, training and community development.
Since 2000, we have also documented the humanitarian impact of war and conflict in DR Congo through a series of five mortality surveys that have highlighted the devastating effects of conflict on public health: we estimate that 5.4 million excess deaths have occurred between August 1998 and April 2007, mostly due to easily preventable and treatable conditions.
January 2009
