Share:
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the largest countries in Africa, encompassing an area the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River. The DRC is considered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and has some of the world’s most dismal socio-economic indicators, ranking last on the 2011 U.N. Human Development Index.
An already weak economy collapsed under the weight of the 1998-2003 war, pushing the vast majority of the country’s 70 million people to new depths of poverty. More than 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Bringing Innovation and Fresh Hope to a Complicated Humanitarian Crisis
The DRC is among the most complex emergencies in the world; there is no easy solution, no shortcut to results. Mercy Corps’ strategy for eastern Congo is to provide immediate emergency relief while initiating development activities designed to reduce the risk of future conflict, lessen the impact of the current crisis and set the stage for recovery and development. By helping communities take the lead in their own recovery, we can make progress in the DRC. Together, we can fill gaps in services through efficient and innovative approaches that until now have gone unexplored or under-exploited.
Meeting Basic Needs: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Nearly 10% of the population in North Kivu Province is internally displaced. The mass displacement increases health risks to the internally displaced population, who are particularly vulnerable to communicable diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and respiratory infections. The situation is compounded by abject poverty, ethnic-related tensions and years of under-spending on infrastructure and the health system.
Mercy Corps is providing emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services to thousands of displaced persons and host communities. We are rehabilitating water sources to create a reliable supply of potable water. In addition, we are working with local community health advocates to promote good hygiene practices, and we are constructing latrines and shower facilities to ensure these practices are put into use.
Our programmes focus on ways to ensure sustainable supplies of water and consistent improvements in hygiene practices. With support from USAID’s Office of Food for Peace and the European Commission, Mercy Corps is implementing a three-year programme to improve water, sanitation and hygiene practices, with the goal of reducing waterborne diseases for children under the age of 5. At Mercy Corps, we believe that with creativity and persistence we can overcome even the toughest development challenges. Despite the truly desperate state in DRC today, we are dedicated to helping the people move toward a future that contains the hope and opportunity all people desire.
Food Security: Linking Agriculture, Nutrition and Good Governance
Mercy Corps, along with Catholic Relief Services and Helen Keller International, is implementing a long-term programme to ensure that vulnerable households and communities in North Kivu build and sustain food security. The programme design incorporates agricultural production, productivity and disease control and eradication; increasing incomes; and prevention and reduction of childhood malnutrition. In addition, we are engaging the public and private sectors and civil society to create an enabling environment that supports these activities. The programme includes a substantial focus on governance to ensure that the results achieved through agriculture and nutrition sectors are sustainable.
Building Environmental Awareness and Opportunity
Since 2008 Mercy Corps has worked at protecting both the people and the environment. Mercy Corps’ environmental programming initially began to help internally displaced persons in North Kivu who were residing in camp on the margins of Virunga National Park, one of the most precious environmental sites in Africa.
The large IDP population was causing unprecedented demand for water, forest products and other natural resources. Mercy Corps has worked to educate communities about environmental awareness by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and the planting of trees for fuel. In addition, we’ve trained women and community groups to build fuel-efficient stoves so that women and girls don’t have to gather firewood in areas where the possibility of sexual violence is a regular threat.
Through our programmes, we have reduced the need for women to search for firewood in outlying areas and have cut the amount of firewood needed by two-thirds, thanks to the efficient stove design. What’s more, women have gained valuable skills through their involvement in constructing the stoves.
Economic Recovery
Since 2009 Mercy Corps has assisted displaced populations in Orientale Province with a cash-based programme incorporating cash-for-work, cash transfers, market infrastructure rehabilitation, and cash grants to small micro-enterprises. Mercy Corps has helped conflict-affected communities access economic resources to meet immediate needs and sustain local market systems. Voucher fairs have allowed for quick replacement of vital household food and non-food items while also strengthening the local economy. We have also implemented cash-for-work activities to stimulate the economy by providing the much-needed economic boost that the region needs while improving community infrastructure. Many of the cash-for-work projects construct classrooms and health centers and establish community farms. Mercy Corps’ intervention reflects the agency’s commitment to providing community-based market driven solutions which show immediate impact while respecting beneficiaries’ dignity.
Building Bridges to Development: Strengthening Civil Society
Mercy Corps is working with the Dungu Civil Society Coordination Office to develop a robust, vibrant and independent civil society. This programme is strengthening civil society and building institutional capacity to improve links and relationships with communities and to encourage a constructive and regular dialogue with the government regarding common interests and/or concerns. Mercy Corps’ support enables local civil society to better represent the interests of its communities, to communicate with the government, to attract and manage external aid, to plan and implement activities that contribute to the long term development of Dungu, and to help groups gain a better idea of their identity and role, linking to other organisations around the country.
Share: