URGENT NEEDS FOR RETURNING INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN THE POOL REGION
- Increased hopes for peace and stability
- Continued assistance essential to bring normality to the lives of IDPs
- Less than 10 per cent of UNICEF appeal needs met
1. EMERGENCY OVERVIEW AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
With the signing of a peace agreement between the government and Ninja, on 17 March 2003, there are increased signs for the return of peace and stability in the Pool region, south-east of the country. In recent months, several inter-agency assessment missions were conducted in the region in cooperation with the government. These missions revealed grave humanitarian situation, particularly in the districts of Boko, Mbandza-Ndounga, Loumou, Louingue, Mindouli, Mayama, Goma Tse-tse, Kimba, Kindamba, Kinkala, and Vindza. Essential social services such as clean drinking water, adequate sanitation facilities and basic healthcare services are seriously lacking, thereby resulting in increased incidences of diseases and deaths. Schools were seriously damaged and looted. The lack of essential non-food items, looted during armed conflict, makes the return of normal life extremely difficult for the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity, Humanitarian Action, War Victims and Family, there are close to 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Pool region. This number does not include people who escaped into the forests, estimated to be 75,000. There is an urgent need to support the return of IDPs and to help them rebuild their shattered lives. As of end-July 2003, all reception centres in the Brazzaville area and in Bouenza, Lekoumou, Niari and Plateau regions have been officially closed, thereby making it more the necessary to support the immediate return of IDPs to their villages to start normal lives. As the centres closed, many IDPs returned to their respective villages through their own means, while others remained in the sites awaiting transport assistance.
2. UNICEF RESPONSE
In light of the deep humanitarian crisis in the Pool region, the government has appealed for urgent international assistance through the UN country team for assistance to the IDPs of Pool region. With the rainy season fast approaching, the immediate delivery of additional humanitarian assistance is extremely important to save thousands lives and start livelihood activities for the returning IDPs.
Within a coordinated inter-agency response to the current crisis in the country, especially in the Pool region, UNICEF is implementing its humanitarian assistance programme in five areas:
a) Provision of immediate assistance;
b) Restoration of basic social services;
c) Rehabilitation and re-equipping of social service infrastructure;
d) Organizing special remedial make-up classes for children dropped out of school and reactivation of primary schools in the Pool region;
e) Support to economic livelihood activities to empower the returning IDP population to be productive and self-sufficient.
Meeting basic needs of IDPs
UNICEF has been supporting its partner agencies in providing relief aid to the displaced population in the Brazzaville area and in Boko, Mbaza Dounga, Kinkala, Ngabe, Mayama, Vindza, and Kimba districts in the Pool region. UNICEF assisted 25,000 IDPs through distributions of non-food supplies, which included sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, cooking pots, plastic plates and cups, soap, jerry cans, buckets, water purification tablets, bowls, lamps and tarpaulins. In addition, UNICEF collaborated with an NGO to set-up temporary shelters in the Kibanguiste and Sangolo Church reception centres. Recently, non-food items were provided to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity, Humanitarian Action, War Victims and Family for some 500 returning displaced families in Kinkala district.
Preparing IDPs for return
In the reception centres in Brazzaville, UNICEF supported two local NGOs in conducting skills training for 250 displaced youths and women such as brick making, animal and poultry raising, vegetable gardening, soap making and baking. The 250 beneficiaries were then organized into groups according to their communities of origin and supplied with essential materials and tools to further spread gained know-how to other members of their respective communities. The project aimed to support community empowerment through livelihood and income generation skills.
Health and Nutrition
Recent/ongoing activities include:
a) return of health workers to their respective posts in the Pool region to reactivate healthcare services in areas where IDPs population have returned,
b) initiation of polio vaccination campaign covering 22,000 (0-5 years old children),
c) provision of essential medical kits and equipment to 13 primary healthcare units and 7 health posts located in the reception centres in Brazzaville, 5 district hospitals of Pool and Bouenza region, benefiting 25,000 ill and wounded persons,
d) support to Makelekele and CHU general hospitals in Brazzaville to reinforce their capacities in rendering health assistance for the IDPs, benefiting 10,000 ill persons
e) support to Medicines d'Afrique (a partner local NGO) to re-enforce the delivery of health care services for the IDPs in the Bouenza and Lekoumou regions,
f) support to regular screening and treatment of 5,000 malnourished IDP children in the health posts, district hospitals and general hospitals,
g) distribution of BP-5 biscuits for moderate malnourished children and therapeutic milk for severely malnourished children in the hospitals
h) provision of Vitamin A supplementation and de-worming of children and,
i) assistance to Association Ntsindo Pour Development (a partner local NGO) for the establishment of supplementary feeding and animation centres in the reception centres in Brazzaville, benefiting 2,500 aged 2-6 years old children.
Basic Education
Recent/ongoing activities include:
a) support the rehabilitation of 4 primary schools,
b) provision of education kits to 10,000 displaced children who returned to primary and secondary schools close to their temporary residences/ settlements,
c) special remedial make-up classes for children in the reception centres in Brazzaville
d) support to CADRC (a local partner NGO) for the establishment of 18 special remedial make-up classes in Kinkaka and Mindouli districts in the Pool region, benefiting 3,500 children.
Water and Sanitation
Recent/ongoing activities include:
a) installation of two hand pumps in the two IDP reception centres in Brazzaville, benefiting 1,500 IDPs,
b) support for the construction of 83 latrines in the IDPs reception sites in the Bouenza region and in Brazzaville, benefiting 15,000 displaced persons,
c) promotion of hygiene education in the reception centres in co-operation with CARITAS and CRS, partner NGOs.
Child and Woman Protection
Recent/ongoing activities include:
a) major advocacy efforts on the protection of children and women during armed conflict situation,
b) training of 50 personnel from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and NGOs on psycho-trauma counseling,
c) organizing trauma counseling activities for 350 ex-combatants in Brazzaville
d) support to training-workshop for police and military personnel on prevention of sexual violence against women in cooperation with ACOLVF, a partner NGO
e) support to Ministry of Health, MSF and ACOLVF for rendering following services for displaced women and girls such as conduct of trauma counseling, training on psycho-trauma counseling, medical and laboratory assistance for sexually abused women and girls and insertion in socio-economic livelihood activities.
3. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND RECEIPTS
Of the US$ 10.8 million appealed to support 2003-2004 humanitarian interventions for the most affected children and women in Congo, UNICEF has received only US$ 862,820, leaving a significant funding shortfall of US$ 9.9 million (or 90 per cent of the total resource needs). The current funding situation continues to seriously marginalize its humanitarian assistance in the country.
UNICEF is thankful to the generous contributions received from the governments of Norway (US$105,000), Sweden (US$232,820) and United States (US$25,000), which have been essential in supporting most-urgent interventions. UNICEF has also re-programmed regular resource funds of US$500,000 to continue its emergency activities. The table below shows the current funding status of the appeal, by sector:
|
Table 1: 2003-2004 UNICEF REQUIREMENTS AND RECEIPTS BY SECTOR AS OF 17 SEPTEMBER 2003
|
||||
| Sector |
Target (US$)
|
Funded (US$)
|
% Funded
|
Unfunded
|
| Health |
2,150,000
|
562,498
|
26
|
1,587,502
|
| Nutrition |
550,000
|
100,000
|
18
|
450,000
|
| Water and Environmental Sanitation |
1,450,000
|
1,450,000
|
||
| Education |
1,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
||
| Basic services |
2,950,000
|
2,950,000
|
||
| Protection of children and women |
2,680,000
|
200,322
|
7
|
2,479,678
|
|
TOTAL
|
10,780,000
|
862,820
|
8
|
9,917,180
|
4. IMPACT OF UNDER-FUNDING AND CURRENT PRIORITIES
The early and safe return of IDPs from the Pool region to their communities is not only important for stability and security in the Pool region, but also throughout the country. UNICEF, together with the government and other humanitarian partners, aims to bring back normalcy to the lives of IDPs and other people affected by the crisis. UNICEF has been responding to the needs of IDPs in the camps in Brazzaville and in the regions, during transit and after their return to their communities. However, UNICEF's interventions have been greatly limited due to the lack of resources.
Current Priorities
UNIEF requires urgent donor support to undertake emergency national vaccination campaign from September to December 2003, in collaboration with the government. UNICEF is concerned about the increasing recurrence of measles nationwide. During the first trimester of 2003, 1,279 cases and 7 deaths were reported. Measles is one of the major killer diseases of children in the country.
There is a huge need for non-food items to facilitate the return of 150,000 displaced persons to their respective districts/communities. UNICEF emergency supplies in stock have been depleted and need to be replenished to assist more than 30,000 displaced families returning to their villages.
Most urgent priority needs are given in the table below:
|
Table 2: URGENT PRIORITIES SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2003
|
||
|
Project(s)
|
Target beneficiaries
|
Funds Required (US$)
|
| 1. Prevention and control against measles epidemics | - 1,592,109 children (9 months-14 years); - 400 health workers; |
770,400
|
| 2. Control, treatment and rehabilitation of malnourished children | - 5,000 malnourished children, - 50,000 other vulnerable children - 500 health workers and community volunteer health workers |
120,000
|
| 3. Support to Campaign in getting back all children to school especially the girls | - 25,000 out of school children - 200 volunteer workers - 10,000 children aged 2-6 years old for ECCD |
250,000
|
| 4. Assistance to Children in Need of Special Protection | - 3,000 vulnerable children - 5,000 pygmy children - 1,000 child soldiers - 20,000 traumatized children - 500 teachers/social workers and health workers to be trained on trauma counseling |
240,000
|
| 5. Special Humanitarian Assistance for the Protection of Returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Pool Region | - 150,000 IDP population - 2,500 youths - 2,500 vulnerable women - 10 schools and 5 health centres to be rehabilitated - 10 spring water supply sources and 75 India Mark hand pumps |
600,000
|
| Total |
1,980,400
|
Details of the Republic of Congo Programme can be obtained from:
Raymond Janssens
Representative
UNICEF Brazzaville
Tel : +242-81.50.24
Fax : +242.81.42.40
E-mail : rjanssens@unicef.org
Olivier Degreef
Senior Programme Officer
UNICEF Geneva
Tel : +41.22.909.5655
Fax : +41.22.909.5902
E-mail : odegreef@unicef.org
Dan Rohrmann
Deputy Director, PFO
New York
Tel : +1.212.326.7009
Fax : +1.212.326.7165
E-mail : drohrmann@unicef.org