Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development

Published purpose

March 2016 – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to experience one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world, with numerous, large-scale displacement and returnee movements, extremely low level basic services leading to large-scale cholera and measles epidemics, increasing refugee populations, and over 50 different armed groups that continue to terrorize communities, particularly in Orientale, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Katanga provinces. At least 1.6 million people in the DRC are internally displaced and a further 500,000 Congolese are living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Approximately 5 million people are food insecure, and acute malnutrition is estimated at 8 per cent. Protection concerns remain very high, with sexual violence and other abuses related to the violence plaguing vast numbers of civilians. Humanitarian needs could further increase if insecurity grows in relation to the deepening political crisis over elections planned for late this year. Overall, an estimated 7.5 million people in the DRC (roughly 9% of the total population) are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2016 (an increase of 500,000 over this time last year). With GAC’s support, the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) is providing assistance to address the urgent needs of up to 42,000 conflict-affected people in Tanganyika and Haut-Katanga provinces. The project focuses on increasing access to safe water and sanitation facilities as well as providing displaced people with basic household items and emergency shelter. Project activities include: (1) distributing basic household items to 5,400 beneficiaries; (2) constructing or rehabilitating emergency shelters for up to 800 households; (3) rehabilitating or constructing eight water sources, benefitting up to 4,000 people; (4) constructing six community latrines; and (5) organizing a community-based hygiene and sanitation campaign, including the distribution of 500 hygiene kits.