Democratic Republic of the Congo: Humanitarian Highlights #3 (1 - 31 March 2023)

FUNDING

EU DEDICATES HUMANITARIAN AID WORTH OVER €47 MILLION TO NORTH KIVU

The European Union (EU) said in a press release issued on 4 March that it will release over €47 million ($49.97 million) and launch a humanitarian air bridge to Goma in support of the deteriorating situation in North Kivu due to the conflict that broke out in March 2022. On 10 and 17 March, the organization delivered approximately 70 tons of humanitarian aid (consisting of tents, mattresses, hygiene kits and medical supplies) from UNICEF and other partners to Goma.
Other cargos are still to be delivered as part of this €47 million humanitarian aid which also includes the costs of transportation (flights). The aid will help address the immediate needs of affected families in terms of nutrition, healthcare, water and sanitation, shelter and protection. Humanitarian and state actors estimate that more than 880,000 civilians have been displaced since March 2022 due to the violence

UK GOVERNMENT FUNDS GIRLS’ ACCESS TO EDUCATION

The United Kingdom Government has allocated £28 million ($ 34.7 million) to support 60,000 children (60 per cent girls), to access education in Kasai province.
Kasai has the lowest school attendance in the country, with 26 percent of boys attending secondary school, compared to 3 per cent of girls. This funded programme will be implemented by Save the Children, and will complement UNICEF’s pilot programme of 18 months, targeting 24,000 children. UNICEF’s programme enabled 2,000 out-of-school children (72 percent girls) to return to school.

WFP URGENTLY NEEDS $127.4 MILLION TO SUPPORT DISPLACED PEOPLE IN THE EAST

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on 16 March that it urgently needs $127.4 million to provide lifesaving food and cash assistance to 1.1 million people in North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu from March to June 2023. The organization is running short on resources due to the soaring operation costs in Eastern DRC. WFP’s alert came days after the French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced in Kinshasa, a contribution of €5 million ($ 5.4 million) to WFP for the purchase of cereals. This contribution is part of the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission initiative, launched jointly by France and WFP in July 2022. It will help the organization to purchase, transport and distribute more than 2,550 tons of cereals to populations in North Kivu, Ituri and Katanga provinces. Between October 2022 and January 2023, more than 1.3 million people were assisted by WFP in North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu provinces.

EASTERN DRC

VIOLENCE DISRUPTS 750,000 CHILDREN’S EDUCATION IN NORTH KIVU AND ITURI

School-aged children continue to bear the brunt of growing conflict and insecurity in eastern DRC, particularly in the two most affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. New figures released by UNICEF on 29 March show that between January 2022 and March 2023, at least 2,100 schools in these two provinces were forced to stop operating because of the deteriorating security situation, affecting around 750,000 children. The situation is particularly critical for nearly 240,000 recently displaced children living in the vast makeshift settlements around Goma.
Humanitarian actors continue to train teachers, support the construction of temporary learning spaces and provide school materials to school children. In 2022, more than 560,000 children in North Kivu and Ituri received educational assistance. An estimated 1.8 million school-aged children will need educational assistance this year in these two provinces, home to 65 per cent of the entire displaced population in the country.

ITURI

RHOE IDP SITE IN DJUGU TERRITORY IS STRETCHED DUE TO AN NFLUX OF NEW ARRIVALS

From 20 to 26 March, the Rhoe IDP site in Djugu territory recorded the arrival of more than 28,000 newly displaced people following armed attacks on villages in the area. More than 40 unaccompanied children were among the displaced. These new arrivals bring the total to some 84,000 displaced people currently living on the site. Humanitarian needs in the Rhoe IDP site keep soaring following these new arrivals, with the most urgent being shelter, water and sanitation facilities, food and non-food items, education, healthcare, and protection services.