Nearly two decades of fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) between government forces and armed groups have forced millions of people to flee their homes countrywide. Over the past year, humanitarian conditions have continued to worsen due to escalating violence that has displaced even more communities and renewed safety and security concerns. Tensions and large-scale displacement have affected the southeastern Katanga and North Kivu provinces especially hard in recent months. In Katanga, the U.N. recorded a more than five-fold increase of internally displaced persons (IDPs) over the past year, from approximately 55,000 IDPs in January 2012 to more than 358,000 in December 2012. To make matters worse, people in Katanga are facing the worst cholera epidemic in the area since 2007.
In addition to increased displacement, Katanga Province is experiencing the worst cholera epidemic since 2007. An estimated 5,000 new cases have been reported since January 2013 with more than 150 related deaths. Photo credit: UNICEF
USAID has responded to urgent needs by airlifting more than $270,000 worth of emergency relief supplies, such as blankets, kitchen utensils, water containers, and plastic sheeting. These commodities were transported from USAID’s warehouse in Dubai and flown to Katanga Province on March 11 to be distributed by UNICEF and other partners on the ground. The plastic sheeting will be used to help families build latrines, while the water containers will make gathering drinking water easier. Ensuring people have an adequate supply of safe drinking water will help mitigate the spread of cholera.
More than 12,000 water containers, 3,000 blankets and 1,000 kitchen sets were airlifted to Katanga Province in DRC from USAID’s stockpiles in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates (UAE). Photo credit: UNICEF
“The delivery of this equipment now allows us to support UNICEF in pursuit of a common goal: to help the most vulnerable populations and disaster victims, especially children affected by the conflict,” said Jay Nash, Senior Humanitarian Advisor for USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance in DRC.
