150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 Appeal e-mail: [email protected] Coordinating Office Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief & Rehabilitation – AFDC - 41 Appeal Target: US$ 1,517,566 Geneva, 2 February 2004 Dear Colleagues, The year 2003 was a very hopeful year for the people of the DRC as they saw the creation of a transitional government with all parties to the conflict being included. Acceptance of entry visas issued in Kinshasa by the authorities in the eastern DRC was a sign of good things to come although the air of mistrust is still strong, especially in the two Kivus. The UN also strengthened their presence in the eastern part of the country where the conflict has been most intense over the years. This allowed access to some of the remote areas where previously people could not be reached with humanitarian assistance due to the insecurity that had prevailed. The new development also opens a window of opportunity for recovery and rehabilitation activities in the secure areas of the country. However, despite the positive political developments that have taken place in the last year, most areas in the eastern DRC remain highly insecure with a high rate of human rights abuses by various fighting factions and militias. There is total break down of law and order and the power of the gun still rules. Looting, murder and rape of women are daily occurrences especially in the eastern part of the country. Health and education facilities hardly exist for the majority of the population leading to very high mortality rates from treatable diseases and a high level of illiteracy among the young population. The programs in this appeal will try to address some of the pressing issues facing the people of the eastern DRC through providing assistance to sexually abused women, shelter, water and sanitation, relief and rehabilitation assistance to the internally displaced people and returnees, educational facilities for children, and also capacity building for church humanitarian workers. The ACT implementing members working in the Eastern DRC are requesting US$ 1,517,566 for humanitarian activities in the provinces of North and South Kivu, and Maniema. The ACT Co-ordinating Office in Geneva is also requesting USD10,000 to cover costs for communications and field monitoring trips to the DRC during the year. ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. DRC – Relief & Rehabilitation 2 AFDC-41 Appeal Project Completion Date: CAID - 31 January 2005 ECC S Kivu - 31 January 2005 ECC N Kivu - 31 January 2005 BOAD - 31 January 2005 EELC Kivu & Maniema - 31 January 2005 Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested CAID ECC ECC BOAD EELC ACT CO Total S Kivu N Kivu Monitoring Target US$ Appeal Targets 727,340 144,464 214,920 284,705 136,137 10,000 1,517,566 Less: Pledges/Contr Recd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Balance Requested from 727,340 144,464 214,920 284,705 136,137 10,000 1,517,566 ACT Alliance Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account: Account Number – 240-432629.60A (USD) 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 cooperation. For further information please contact: ACT Director, Thor-Arne Prois (phone +41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone + 41 79 203 6055) or ACT Appeals Officer, John Nduna (phone +41 22 791 6040 or mobile phone +41 79 433 0592) ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org John Nduna Acting Director, Act Co-ordinating Office DRC – Relief & Rehabilitation 3 AFDC-41 Appeal GENERAL DESCRIPTION of the SITUATION The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country, which is trying to get out of a seven-year devastating war. This war, more intensive in the East of the DRC, has been one of the deadliest, especially in the rural areas, which moreover are the production points of subsistence crops for the majority of the population. These rural areas have mainly been targeted by the rebellion on the pretext that they shelter the rebel forces. The conflicts between rival forces were abusively exploited by the rebel movements or their allies to set some areas ablaze especially the Ituri (Eastern Province), the Masisi (North-Kivu), Uvira (South- Kivu), ect. The eastern part of the DRC includes the following provinces; The Eastern province, Maniema, North Kivu and South-Kivu. It represents 32.40% of the national territory and is inhabited by 37.30 % of the national population, with 87% of the internally displaced populations, estimated at 3,044,000 people. In the east, it is the peasant population that has mainly been displaced during the wars. Out of a population of 18,652,185 people, 2, 647,000 are displaced (14.19 %). These figures are of July 2003 and were issued by the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs) in August 2003 in its Humanitarian Information Leaflet for the East of the DRC. Indicators of vulnerability in the East of the DRC (source OCHA August 2003) N° Indicator Eastern Maniema South- North Kivu province Kivu 1 Internally displaced (nbr) 791 000 234 000 413 700 1 209 000 2 Infantile mortality 14.3% 12.2% 14.7% 14% 3 Infant-juvenile mortality 24.1% 20.5% 24.9% 23.7% 4 Chronic global malnutrition 12.9% 11.2% 17.5% 16.8% 5 Severe chronic malnutrition 5.3% 5.1% 9.8% 10.5% 6 Food insecurity 32.5% 47.4% 65.9% 15.1% 7 Non access to drinking water 83.6% 98.2% 82.7% 86.6% 8 Non access to hygienic sanitary 49.9% 87.6% 42.6% 53.3% facilities 9 IHV 12% 8- 12% 10 Homeless families (nbr) ± 2 500 ± 1 500 6 000 11 Women sexually abused (nbr) 1589 ± 5 000 4 000 Figures in this table are minimum since all the displaced have not possibly been reached, especially those hiding in the forest and the ones living in areas under control of armed groups, which do not fully co-operate with the humanitarian community. North Kivu has many more displaced because it hosts most of the displaced from the Ituri / Bunia. The rate of infection by HIV has rapidly grown (1-5 % end 2001, and 20-22 % presently) because of frequent rape against women, children and even against men by armed groups and rebels. Raped women are regularly hospitalised at the DOCS hospital in Goma (1,400 women already) for specialised intervention. Lots of women, however, do not declare that they have been raped for fear of stigmatisation. The system of communication has improved since May 2003 because of private communication networks and especially mobile phone networks. It is now relatively easy to communicate by phone from the towns all over the country with email also being much more accessible. DRC – Relief & Rehabilitation 4 AFDC-41 Appeal With the gradual reunification of the country the displaced populations are little by little returning to the villages where peace is restored. Others are opting to remain or even settle where they have been hosted during the conflict because insecurity still prevails in their home villages. ***************** I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER Christian Aid (CA) Bukavu II. REQUESTING & IMPLEMENTING PARTNER INFORMATION The Christian Aid Field Office in Bukavu, Eastern DRC, was established in February 1996 to support long-term development projects initiated by its church and NGO partners. Presently, CA works in partnership with 27 local organisations in the following sectors: food security, peace promotion and human rights, emergency relief, micro-credit, capacity building and HIV/AIDS. Humanitarian relief activities commenced in 1997, with support to large seed and tool projects. In 1997/98 distribution of agricultural inputs, food and non-food items to internally displaced people, food and non- food items to displaced in host families and, more recently, to the Goma volcano disaster victims hosted in families in Bukavu town and surrounding areas. Another programme for returnees based on micro-credit is on-going in Goma town. Under AFDC 21 CAID supported displaced Burhinyi people in 2002/03, funded a relief project in Kindu/Maniema Province and agro-pastoral rehabilitation in South-Kivu. CA is one of the two ACT members in South Kivu or Maniema. In November/December 2002, CA assisted with food and non-food items to the Kindu population whose town had been isolated by Mai-Mai taking position in the surroundings and blocking all access to the fields Implementing Partners South Kivu Action Sociale et d Organisation Paysanne (ASOP). A large local NGO consisting of a network of 156 mainly agricultural co-operatives throughout most of the Province. ASOP has been a partner of Christian Aid in South Kivu for more than 5 years. Communauté Baptiste en Afrique Centrale (CBCA). The Baptist Church of South Kivu has been a CA partner since 1985 through implementing a medical project.