Aid Delivered to Families in Congo
More than 5,000 families, displaced by the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, received belated Christmas presents from Catholic Relief Services and our local Caritas partners—kits that contain basic necessities designed to make their difficult lives a bit easier.
Distributing the kits—which included items such as plastic sheeting, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, soap, cooking pots and utensils—involved weeks of working through logistical and security obstacles in the chaos that is now the eastern Congo.
Malnourished children are given milk at the hospital in Kamituga, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because of the conflict, malnutrition rates are high in DR Congo. Photo by Lane Hartill/CRS
But CRS staff member Jasmine Bates reports that it was worth all the effort, including slogging over muddy roads that slowed the 37-mile trek by the convoy of trucks from Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, to Ngungu, where the kits were handed out.
"The beneficiaries were delighted to receive the assistance, which was evident in their cooperation and cries of happiness on opening the kit—quite literally," Bates said. Families were registered by CRS and its partners on previous trips to the area.
The kits were financed by a $500,000 commitment from CRS to deal with the growing humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo. Though fighting involving numerous armed groups has been a problem in the area for more than a decade, recent battles, primarily between a rebel group led by Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese army, have caused more than 250,000 civilians to flee their homes to seek safety and shelter.
In addition to distributing the kits, CRS and its Caritas partners have launched a variety of programs designed to aid those victimized by the fighting. Programs provide food, water, education and other basic services.
