Annual Report – WEST AFRICA Danish Refugee Council Activity Review TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. THE DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL 4 1.1 THE DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL IN WEST AFRICA 5 1.2 DRC STAKEHOLDERS IN WEST AFRICA 6 1.3 WEST AFRICA CONTEXT 7 1.4 MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2012 8 2. PROTECTION AND 3CS 9 2.1 WEST CÔTE D’IVOIRE 11 2.2 SOUTH WEST CÔTE D’IVOIRE 20 2.3 NORTH EAST LIBERIA 25 2.4 SOUTH EAST LIBERIA 26 2.5 GUINEA - NZEREKORE 31 3. FOOD SECURITY AND INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES 33 3.1 WEST CÔTE D’IVOIRE 34 3.2 SOUTH WEST CÔTE D’IVOIRE 39 3.3 NORTH EAST LIBERIA 41 3.4 SOUTH EAST LIBERIA 45 3.5 GUINEA - NZEREKORE 49 4. WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE 52 4.1 WEST CÔTE D’IVOIRE 53 4.2 SOUTH WEST CÔTE D’IVOIRE 55 4.3 NORTH EAST LIBERIA 57 4.4 SOUTH EAST LIBERIA 60 4.5 GUINEA - NZEREKORE 64 5. CAMP COORDINATION AND CAMP MANAGEMENT (CCCM) 65 5.1 SOUTH EAST LIBERIA 65 6. INFRASTRUCTURE REHABILITATION 69 6.1 NORTH EAST LIBERIA 69 6.2 SOUTH EAST LIBERIA 70 7. PERSPECTIVES FOR 2013 73 2 1. THE DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent, DRC achieves its mission with a holistic approach by: non-profit organization (NGO), founded in 1956 and currently Providing help to conflict affected populations – refugees, working in more than 35 countries throughout the world. IDPs, host communities in conflict riddled areas of the world; DRC is devoted, on the basis of humanitarian principles and Providing assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in the Human Rights Declaration, to supporting the protection of Denmark; refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and to Defending the cause of conflict affected people, in promoting durable solutions to the problems of forced Denmark and throughout the world. migration. DRC works in the context of conflict-induced displacements of populations and in return and reintegration situations. 3 1.1 THE DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL IN WEST AFRICA protection and emergency response, and recovery and reconstruction. In 2012, DRC worked primarily in 6 sectors: Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Social Cohesion (3Cs) (including GBV and Child protection), Food Security and Agricultural Development and Income Generation Activities (IGA), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), and DRC has been working in West Africa well as at working implementing Infrastructure Rehabilitation (IR); All of since 1998, to support and assist sustainable solutions for their return, this with a mainstreaming strategy. displaced people in southeast Liberia. DRC tries to be present in both Since 2006, DRC has opted for a communities of origin of refugees As a consequence, DRC’s zones of regional strategy in response to and the host communities that intervention in WA are the border areas continued conflict and displacement welcome them. of Northern Liberia and West CI, South- across the border between Liberia, Eastern Liberia and South West CI and Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. Today, DRC operates a regional South Eastern Guinea. program in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Aiming at reinforcing protection Guinea focusing on the border capacities of displaced populations as areas. This program includes 4 1.2 DRC STAKEHOLDERS IN WEST AFRICA OUR BENEFICIARIES DRC’s assistance activities target in priority refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), displaced-returnees, host communities, basically all people affected by conflicts that live in a fragile state. In all our interventions, a focus is placed on women, youth, children, and minorities. The most vulnerable people are thus targeted in our interventions. OUR PARTNERS OCHA, European Commission’s delegations, The Ivorian League for Human Rights (LIDHO), Agence National d’appui au development rural (ANADER), ECOWAS, Monde des Enfants (MDE), At risk Children Protection Network (ARCPN), Visions in Action (VIA), Government of Liberia (Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Gender Development), Visions of hope, Pride Formation, Acteurs unis pour le développement rural (AUDER). OUR DONORS DANIDA, EC, ECHO, UNHCR, WFP, UNDP/PBF, UNICEF/CERF, OFDA/USAID, BPRM, Alwaleed Foundation, FAO. 5 The Ivorian crisis 1.3 WEST AFRICA CONTEXT The stalemate situation induced by Recovery from civil war in Liberia the disputed presidential elections of October 2012 sparked a wave of ethnic In Liberia, 15 years of civil war and political tensions throwing the Fragile political situation in Guinea weakened close to destroyed country in an unprecedented crisis. As a economical, social and political consequence, tremendous movements Guinea remains one of the poorest structures. Poverty and poor development of populations looking for a shelter were countries in the World and is ranked 170th affect most of the population, especially provoked, either as refugees or internally out of 182 countries under the 2009 UNDP the youth. In 2011, Liberia was declared displaced persons (IDPs) in the sub-region. classification. Almost half of the population 6th less developed country in the world For more than 4 months violence lives under the extreme poverty line and (Human development indicators of 2011). affected the whole country, but with a 70% of the population lives in rural areas particular intensity in the South and West were poverty is more extreme. Through the conflict years, Liberians regions, where the conflicts between sought shelter in neighboring countries like autochthonous and allochthonous Coupled with this state of tremendous Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea. populations are the strongest. poverty, Guinea welcomed over 600,000 Since then, almost 60,000 refugees have refugees fleeing neighboring countries like still not returned home and were Despite the ceasefire negotiated in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone. confronted to the end of their refugee May 2011, the Human Rights situation Over a twenty-year period, conflicts in Sierra status in 2012. This event has motivated an stayed fragile. Moreover, the post- Leone, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire have important afflux of Liberian returnees to electoral crisis made access to social resulted in large flows of refugees into their country. During the year of 2012, services, health, and education difficult, Guinée Forestière, exacerbating political 24,610 returnees went back to Liberia, and made impossible the resumption of instability and adding to pressure created mainly from Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. the agricultural season, putting even by the movement of Guineans internally more pressure on the humanitarian front. displaced due to internal upheaval The refugee situation continues to insecurity. fluctuate (65,560 Ivorian refugees as of As of January 2013, 40,000 Ivorians January 2013 according to the UNHCR), are still displaced in their own country, out Even though most of these refugees but has stabilized since the end of the of 156,430 refugees total. With rumors of have returned home by now, that long-term conflict in Côte d’Ivoire. Nevertheless, attacks in Cote d’Ivoire very frequent presence of refugees still has blatant effects there are still frequent movements of throughout 2012, vulnerable populations on local resources, including arable land population across the border to and from were forced to travel across the border, and water. Since 2011 more than 2,000 Côte d’Ivoire. This accounts for various seeking protection on the other side. The Ivorian refugees fled to Guinée Forestière, protection risks, including infiltration of border remains indeed very porous, armed elements. In addition, a substantial and the region keeps hosting around 5,000 allowing the movement of small arms and Liberians. number of refugees are likely to stay in armed groups across the border with Moreover, Guinea’s political situation Liberia border zone for a long period of Liberia. remains fragile. time (6 to 12 months) due to fear or persecution on political grounds or perceived involvement in the conflict. 6 1.4 MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2012 In 2012, DRC implemented 20 projects, targeting a mainstream and multi-sectoral approach, in the areas of intervention already mentioned. The financial amount for 2012 varies between USD 92,585 (Distribution of food items to IDPs in WCI (Tai - Zagne) funded by WFP) and USD 1,949,657 (Stabilization, rehabilitation and recovery program for conflict-affected populations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea with focus on cross- border regions, funded by DANIDA). The total amounts of DRC funds in west Africa in 2012 is USD 10,032,546. 7 2. PROTECTION AND 3CS Protection monitoring – the activity aims at identifying SGBV – identification of individual cases with analysis protection issues and protection capacity within the of threats and vulnerabilities, case management, communities to develop a protection strategy, raise awareness raising, women empowerment, and awareness, and report on Human Rights violations. DRC increase capacity of local and State actors. has developed protection-monitoring tools, and trained protection staff, and has started to implement a model Social Cohesion– social cohesion activities are for the collection and sharing of the information. integrated in the wider DRC protection strategy, in order to be complementary and coordinated. This Advocacy for and with the beneficiaries – through its sector can be instrumental in the success of a holistic protection monitoring activities DRC has access to protection strategy. protection information and shares it regularly with other protection and humanitarian actors. DRC has also offer Psychosocial response – training for social and advocacy activities for the communities and encourage education community staff, increase effectiveness of their full participation in advocating for their rights. referral system, strengthening of social services and other psychosocial actors, and advocating Child protection – organizing community driven initiatives psychosocial responses for beneficiaries, partnership, for child protection after child protection problematic training and mentoring local NGOs or actors to are identified, increase awareness on children rights, intervene and provide psychosocial assistance.