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DR Congo

Baseline Survey on Safe Access to and Use of Cooking Energy in Nzulo Camp and the Surrounding Villages in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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INTRODUCTION

Context

The North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a violent conflict between the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) and the M23 militia, which has led to massive displacement of the population to internally displaced person (IDP) camps and to host communities. Some IDP camps have been established around Goma, the provincial capital. Some are public or structured permanent camps with humanitarian support; others are spontaneous. One spontaneous camp is Nzulo camp, which was the site for the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC)/International Rescue Committee (IRC) survey.

Geographical location

Nzulo IDP camp site was established in November 2012 after the fall of Goma to the M23. The camp is a 50- to 60-minute drive northwest of Goma, and a 10-minute walk off the main off the main road from Goma to Sake. It is situated on land close to Mazuku, where methane gas constitutes an imminent danger to people.

Site population

Currently Nzulo IDP has 8,116 residents living in 1,981 households. The surrounding village has about 420 households and members of Hutu, Hunde, Tembo and Pygmy communities.

Organization and site management

Households in Nzulo IDP camp are grouped in blocks of 50 to 70, with each block supervised by a block chief. There is a site committee with 15 members, including a president, a vice president, secretary and a committee of elders. The National Refugee Commission has managed the site since February 2013.

Humanitarian needs and living conditions in Nzulo

The IDPs in Nzulo desperately need access to livelihoods, as well as basic and survival needs. This includes food and non-food items such as shelter, bed covers, pans, clothes and hygiene kits. Nzulo camp receives very limited food distribution; according to camp inhabitants, the last food distribution was from a church structure (Armée du salut) in December 2012. The distribution comprised two glasses of rice, a small amount of oil and salt, and did not meet the needs of the community. The site is the vicinity of FARDC and Congolese National Police (PNC) deployment. There is regular contact on security issues between the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Nzulo camp committee and PNC. The most obvious tensions in Nzulo are between the host village inhabitants and the camp residents over access to livelihoods.

Survey Objective

The main objective of this survey was to assess the living conditions of IDPs in Nzulo camp and the surrounding village in North Kivu in relation to their acquisition and use of cooking fuel.

Specifically, the survey sought to:

  • identify the Nzulo population’s cooking fuel needs;
  • identify the problems and risks related to firewood and charcoal collection;
  • identify, using participatory methods, actions required to fully protect IDP girls and women from risks associated with collecting firewood and charcoal.