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150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Appeal Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 e-mail: [email protected] Coordinating Office Democratic Republic of Congo Relief & Rehabilitation AFDC51 (Revision 1) Appeal Target: US$ 1,896,026 Balance Requested from ACT Alliance: US$ 1,016,158 Geneva, 25 May 2005 Dear Colleagues, July 2003 was the inauguration of a transitional government, officially ending seven years of civil war in the DRC. While this offers an opportunity to secure long-lasting peace, the country still faces enormous humanitarian problems, and has been one of the major forgotten emergencies. Some four million people were displaced during the conflict. The health system has been devastated, that mortality rates due to common diseases such as malaria have risen. HIV/AIDS is a worrying problem. Reduced access to food in conflict-affected areas has created widespread food insecurity and pockets of acute malnutrition. Local ACT members Eglise du Christ au Congo “ECC” North/ South Kivu & Maniema, Bureau Oecumenique d`Appui au Development “BOAD” have been providing assistance with modest funding under the previous ACT Appeal AFDC41 and are requesting your assistance to continue serving humanitarian needs of the most needy - notably children and women. This appeal intends to build on further sustainable food security activities, provision of essential non food items, the return and resettlement of IDPs, and providing capacity building in humanitarian assistance for the local member churches in the Kivus and Maniema. This appeal complements the work being carried out by ACT member the Lutheran World Federation DRC. The region is vast and communications between the members is major challenge. LWF under this same appeal is currently providing humanitarian assistance in: Lubero, Goma and Beni in North Kivu Province, the districts of Kisangani/Tshopo and Ituri in Oriental Province. For the sake of brevity this revision includes only projects by ECC North/South Kivu & Maniema and BOAD. ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. Democratic Republic of Congo Relief & Rehabilitation 2 AFDC-51 (Revision 1) Project Completion Date: 31 January 2006 Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested ECC ECC ECC ACT Co- LWF BOAD North South Total US$ Maniema ord/Comm Kivu Kivu Appeal Targets 1,196,890 344,973 142,271 106,994 104,898 3,000 1,896,026 Less: Pledges/Contr 882,868 - - - - - 882,868 Recd Balance Requested 314,022 344,973 142,271 106,994 104,898 3,000 1,016,158 from ACT Alliance Please kindly send your contributions to either of the following ACT bank accounts: US dollar Account Number - 240-432629.60A IBAN No: CH46 0024 0240 4326 2960A Euro Euro Bank Account Number - 240-432629.50Z IBAN No: CH84 0024 0240 4326 2950Z Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together UBS AG 8, rue du Rhône P.O. Box 2600 1211 Geneva 4, SWITZERLAND Swift address: UBSW CHZH12A Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (direct tel. +4122/791.60.38, e-mail address [email protected]) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal. We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind co-operation. For further information please contact: ACT Director, White Rakuba (phone +41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone + 41 79 203 6055) or ACT Program Officer, Michael Hyden (phone +41 22 791 6040 or mobile phone +41 79 433 0592) ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org Jessie Kgoroeadira Acting Director, ACT Co-ordinating Office Democratic Republic of Congo Relief & Rehabilitation 3 AFDC-51 (Revision 1) GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN THE EASTERN DR CONGO The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been struggling to escape the frequent outbreaks of conflict and threat of continuing war for almost two years. It is hoped that the general elections, planned to take place in June 2005, will end this long period of transition. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to stabilise the eastern part of the country where there are elements at work stirring up conflict near the boundaries of the DR Congo. The provinces mostly affected by the continual outbreak of conflict are Ituri, the North Kivu province and the South Kivu province. This instability is most certainly due to lack of control by the government and the presence of several armed groups, independent of one another, from internal as well as external origin. Furthermore, there is no sign of any national vision concerning the governing of the country and each group wants to maintain their influence on the areas they formerly controlled. The all too easy traffic of light weapons through this region is also a determinant factor. This situation of instability exacerbates the vulnerability of the population who are continually being displaced in their efforts to escape the violence and rape by armed groups. Though the UN OCHA report of February 2005 did not give any details on the vulnerability indicators, it estimates that the internally displaced populations in the DR Congo were at least 2,330,000 people in August 2004. Fortunately, the Maniema and South Kivu provinces are now showing signs of some calm in most areas. In North Kivu, the new Commander of the 8th Military Region intends to unite all military elements by mid-2005. *************************************************** Democratic Republic of Congo Relief & Rehabilitation 4 AFDC-51 (Revision 1) I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER • Eglise du Christ au Congo “ECC” (The Church of Christ in Congo) South - Kivu Province. II. IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORMATION The ECC South Kivu The ECC South Kivu is a provincial federation of local churches in South Kivu, one of the provinces in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It comprises 20 community churches within the 62 communities that make up the National ECC. To deal with the influx of Burundian refugees in 1993, the Emergency and Rehabilitation Service (ERS) was created. The ERS was also able to assist during the massive influx of Rwandan refugees in 1994. The South Kivu ECC Emergency Office benefited from capacity building through exchange meetings and training seminars facilitated by the ACT Alliance. It complies with the humanitarian code of conduct and SPHERE standards. Most projects implemented by the ECC South Kivu were sponsored through funds raised in ACT appeals AFDC 11, 22 and 31, giving aid to displaced families and other victims of war. The assistance provided has included food, non food items and farming and livestock breeding rehabilitation inputs. Partner Information Four of the ECC South Kivu partners are involved in this appeal implementation: ECC-28 United Methodist Churches of Congo (ECC- 28 CMUC). This community was established in 1910. Since 1998 it has carried out relief and agricultural programmes, mainly in the Ruzizi valley, Uvira and Fizi territories. ECC-55 Community of Baptist Churches in Eastern Congo (ECC-55 CEBCE). Member of the ECC South-Kivu. Since 1999, it has been involved in agricultural rehabilitation – distributing seeds and farming tools to the war displaced. ECC-45 Pentecostal Community Churches in Shaba (ECC-45 CPS). This community church is partner of ECC South Kivu working in rural development mainly in food security and farming. ECC-19 Evangelical Community Beerene Churches in Congo (CEEBCO): It was established in 1930 in the South Kivu province; specifically in the Shabunda territory. Since 1998 it has been carrying out agricultural and rural development at Kanyola area in the territory of Walungu. III. DESCRIPTION of the SITUATION in the AREA of PROPOSED RESPONSE Background The set up of the national union government in June 2002 brought some hope of peace and the respect of the state authority in many provinces, except in the eastern part of the country where human rights violations and conflict are still evident. The outbreak of new conflict in May – June 2004, instigated by the dissident Colonel Jules Mutebutsi, reinforced by troops of General Laurent Nkunda from North Kivu province, caused widespread looting, rape and the deaths of more than 200 people. During the nights of 13-14 August 2004, more than 165 Banyamulenge refugees in Gatumba camp were killed by the Burundian rebels “Front national de liberation”. After the attack, more than 2,500 Banyamulenge survivors were voluntarily repatriated to the DR Congo via Uvira town. This permanent insecurity in South Kivu is due to many reasons, one of which is the delay in the process of reintegration and reunification of fighting forces in order to make a unified national army in DR Congo. Democratic Republic of Congo Relief & Rehabilitation 5 AFDC-51 (Revision 1) Furthermore, there are the national and regional power struggles related to the military, economic, political and administrative controls of frontier provinces with countries which are involved in the Congolese conflict. All these difficulties weaken the cohesion between the parties that are to take decisions in the provinces and leaves the door open to armed conflict. Current situation Looting and displacement remain a fact of life for many, and the epidemic of sexual violence continues unabated. Achieving satisfactory and stable food security and obtaining consistent health care, hygiene and safe water is such an unstable environment is not easy, leaving some at times most of the population extremely vulnerable.