WeWorld has been working in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2020, with interventions to address food insecurity and ensure access to health care.
The context
Conflicts in the South Kivu and North Kivu region have repercussions for both displaced populations and host communities.
In this area, many families are victims of looting by combatants or have had to leave their few belongings behind due to continued displacement.
The lack of essential goods for the survival of displaced families makes living conditions very difficult in the host areas, but also when returning to their areas of origin.
While internally displaced persons living in communities can benefit from the solidarity of host families, those living in spontaneous sites often have much higher vulnerabilities.
From a nutritional perspective, data show malnutrition rates above the emergency threshold of 2 percent.
Children and pregnant and lactating women are the most vulnerable. Overall, displaced populations and host families are depleting their food reserves, with no way to renew their agricultural production. In May 2019, targeted surveys revealed a critical nutritional situation in women of reproductive age and stagnant malnutrition in children under age 5. The underlying factors for malnutrition remain poor access to health services, poor quality water, and insecurity.