FACT SHEET January 2021 NRC’s operations in Central African Republic Ingrid Beauquis/NRCPhoto: Humanitarian overview NRC’s operation Since 2013, the Central African Republic (CAR) has While CAR is one of the most dangerous places for fallen victim to a conflict which has led to thousands humanitarians to work (with a 39 per cent increase in of people losing their lives and to massive population incidents against aid workers in 2020), NRC builds ac- movements. In February 2019, a peace agreement was ceptance to ensure that our support serves communities signed between the government and 14 armed groups. through integrated multi-sector assistance. We try to However, the situation gravely deteriorated in December focus on hard-to-reach areas where few other organisa- 2020 during the electoral process. A coalition of armed tions are present and aim to provide sustainable assis- groups, signatories of the peace agreement, launched tance. In 2020, our country office has operations in eight a series of attacks throughout the country and on the prefectures. NRC also advocates for the protection and outskirts of Bangui. rights of those affected by conflict, with a particular focus on housing, land, and property rights. This new conflict led to more than 100,000 newly dis- placed people, in addition to more than 600,000 inter- nally displaced people (IDPs) and 600,000 refugees. More than half of the population – 2.8 million – are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. With a literacy rate of 37% and life expectancy at 53 years, CAR ranks second from the bottom on the Human Development Index. Thirty per cent of children are forced into child labour. As violent conflict persists, vulnerable populations face limited access to basic rights, protec- NRC Central African Republic tion, and assistance. Humanitarian aid remains a critical lifeline. Established 2014 International staff 22 National staff 208 www.nrc.no NRC Central African Republic Country office Bangui Areas of operation Nana-Gribizi, Kemo, Ouaka, Ombel- la-Mpoko, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Nana Mambere, Basse-Kotto prefec- tures NRC Central African Republic Phone: +236 720 31 740 Country director: David Manan www.nrc.no/car Email: [email protected] Address: Rue Durant-Ferte, 1er arrondissement, Bangui Education • ensuring that tenants are the rightful, legal own- We support the public education system at the national, ers through capacity building of local authorities, local and community levels in three prefectures to pro- improvement of archiving systems and setting up vide quality education to children. We also make sure that community systems on the protection of HLP rights, children who have missed out on their education are able etc. to catch up with their peers. Our education teams: • working to prevent further conflict over HLP by pro- • construct and rebuild schools to provide a safe and viding local authorities and community mechanisms secure learning environment for children with much needed capacity building for them to • re-enrol children in courses so they can enjoy an better know their roles and responsibilities when it education, while creating a routine and sense of comes to assisting the resolution of HLP conflicts normalcy for youth affected by displacement and • conducting activities to promote social cohesion trauma and foster dialogue and conflict resolution between • enlist and train teachers to strengthen their capacity communities in class management and teaching methodology • helping people obtain legal documentation, includ- • provide catch-up classes to children who have ing the civil and identity documentation necessary missed out on their education to allow them to rein- to access rights and services by building state agents’ tegrate into the formal school system capacity and providing information sessions to the • provide youth with training and support to enhance public on the importance of such documentation their livelihood skills and guide them towards a profession Livelihoods and food security Nearly 2.4 million people were predicted to face crisis Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) (IPC 3) or worse levels of acute food insecurity in 2020. To In CAR, our ICLA teams help people affected by displace- restore the food security and livelihoods of communities ment with their property rights, by: affected by displacement, our teams: www.nrc.no • distribute agricultural tools and seeds to restore Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH) vulnerable households’ resilience To restore the basic human rights and dignity of displaced • provide training sessions on agricultural techniques people, we run WASH activities. Our dedicated teams: to improve yields and increase households indepen- • construct and treat water sources such as wells and dence when growing different foods pumps, providing clean drinking water for affected • provide income generating activities to increase communities beneficiaries’ livelihoods • construct and repair latrines to help people utilise • provide food and household items for people in dignified personal waste disposal systems acute need through the distribution of cash or • promote hygiene awareness and materials to bring vouchers about long-term changes to sanitation practic- es with a particular focus on the transmission of Shelter and settlements Covid-19 NRC’s shelter work in CAR endeavours to improve living • provide materials to vulnerable individuals in need, conditions for people affected by displacement. Our in the form of cash, vouchers or in-kind materials shelter teams: • work with the ICLA teams to ensure that households’ Humanitarian mediation and protection HLP rights are respected and upheld In a context where conflict prevails, our regional project • build and repair houses damaged or destroyed on Humanitarian Mediation and Protection, financed by by providing in-kind material, cash and technical Sida, has gained even more importance. The project seeks expertise to contribute to improved protection of civilians through • provide emergency shelter to people in displace- humanitarian mediation processes aimed at conflict pre- ment camps vention and mitigation. The activities include the: • rehabilitate community infrastructures including administrative buildings and schools • undertaking of conflict sensitive, gender and protec- • as part of our Covid-19 response, NRC also repaired tion analysis a hospital building to be used for treatment and • facilitation or support to dialogue processes and isolation humanitarian mediation processes • training of national and international actors NRC Central African Republic is grateful for the generous support from our donors: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs World Food Programme (WFP) www.nrc.no.