Reference :
V-P-CD-E-02543
Date :
22/08/2017
Caption :
Kwilu province, Kikwit city. A woman is at the bank counter, withdrawing money provided by the ICRC. This monetary support is to give the displaced people the means to cover their essential needs and help them set up a small business to generate revenue.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC website, 27.09.2017, Article: Democratic Republic of the Congo: the plight of families fleeing the violence in Kasai: “In the town of Kikwit, in the western province of Kwilu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 12,000 people are in an alarming humanitarian situation.
These people, most of them women and children, have been on the move since March this year, when they were forced to flee extremely violent clashes between a local militia and national security forces, as well as the inter-ethnic violence affecting the neighbouring region of Kasai. They have found refuge with host families, in churches or in schools, where their situation remains extremely precarious.
The intensity of the fighting took these parents and their children by surprise; in fleeing the violence, they travelled for two or three weeks, covering more than 300 kilometres, mostly on foot.
The degree of solidarity among the families, the efforts of the humanitarian organizations and the input of the town authorities have been welcomed by the people in need, although the town managers were quickly overwhelmed by the mass influx of displaced people.
The DRC Red Cross and the ICRC worked together to provide humanitarian assistance, in two phases: first, an emergency distribution of hot meals, followed by financial aid for households to bolster their resilience.
The provision of financial assistance was organized via the local branch of a bank. Each family received an ID card, which allowed them to withdraw cash.
The problems and extreme violence in neighbouring Kasai have forced more than a million people on to the roads. The ICRC and the DRC Red Cross are currently helping 29,000 people in Kasai-Central and Kwilu provinces and are about to forward more assistance to displaced people and those returning home.”
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4632x3117
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
