The Lutheran World Federation Department of World Service (LWF/WS) working with the Eglise du Christ au Congo (ECC) with its member churches would like to maintain their presence in the Oriental province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2001 LWF-ECC re-opened a programme in Kisangani in the Oriental province to provide relief assistance to war affected people. The programme was followed by another appeal AFDC-22 in 2002 to continue with relief and rehabilitation work. However the province has been constantly faced with ethnic violence. The withdrawal of the Ugandan forces in Ituri opened up the area to serious and brutal ethnic clashes. The UN and the ECC member churches reported that in May 2003 the town of Bunia and its environs had over 500 people killed with tens of thousands internally displaced. Hopefully, the move by the international community to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission there until 30 July 2004 and raising its military strength to 10,800 troops will help maintain peace in the eastern part of the DRC.

LWF-ECC has reported that an emergency response to the humanitarian crisis and the displaced population caused by the renewed fighting in Ituri since April 2003 is imperative. However, firstly it is necessary to carry out an immediate assessment to clearly define the needs of the affected population. Assessment missions included in this appeal will be implemented jointly by LWF together with ECC through their member churches that are active in these areas and thus increasing the capacity of ECC staff in emergency assessments. In addition to the needs in Ituri, LWF-ECC proposes to respond in Kisangani, and Tshopo with supplementary feeding programs, food security through seed multiplication projects, rehabilitation of schools, peace and reconciliation, capacity building of the ECC and emergency preparedness.

Project Completion Date:

31 March 2004

Thor-Arne Prois, ACT Director

For full details of proposals and budgets, please click below to download a PDF file of the entire Appeal.

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Oriental Province - Relief & Rehabilitation Assistance to IDPs - AFDC32 (file size: 63 Kb)

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