CARE Canada

Published purpose

19 September 2011 - The situation in Côte d’Ivoire remains a serious humanitarian concern, despite the end to the political crisis in April 2011. In September 2011, humanitarian agencies are still addressing the needs of the estimated 200,000 to 250,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Côte d’Ivoire and 171,000 refugees in Liberia, while at the same time supporting the return of populations in Abidjan and the West of the country. Humanitarian assistance is required to address needs for food assistance, water, sanitation and health infrastructure re-establishment, and protection and livelihoods assistance, particularly in areas of return in the West. With CIDA support, CARE Canada is restoring access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and providing psychosocial support for conflict-affected IDPs, returnees and host families in the Moyen Cavally region of Côte d'Ivoire. Activities focus on water treatment, well and water point re-establishment, the re-establishment of damaged sanitation infrastructures, the distribution of hygiene kits to vulnerable families, as well as community hygiene and safe water handling training and awareness raising. Through this project, CARE is also scaling up its existing psychosocial support services to provide counselling and referral services to IDP and returnee populations that have experienced extremely traumatic events during the crisis.