Food for Children - Kalemie, DR Congo

2008-12-02T03:14:00.001-08:00

After an entire store of food at L'Hopital Général de Référence in Kalemie was stolen, the humanitarian group that had been providing the food haulted their partnership with the hospital. The building had served as a safe haven for families, unable to support themselves-- and thus, unable to feed their children.

For two months, most families at the hospital received no assistance. Mothers and their children were starving, living on less than twenty cents of their minuscule pocket change, per day. One infant starved to death.

Many of the families were forced to leave the shelter in search of food -- several of which originally came from far-away villages, and had subsequently little chance of aid as outsiders in the foreign streets.

Last week, FH was able to give a week's supply of food to the mothers. When we spoke with some of them, they were exuberantly grateful to FH and to God for the help they'd received; however, they said that the assistance was "not enough". After a week had passed, the food stock was depleted. The families were once again hungry and, when we interviewed them, were waiting for help. All that was left was a supply of special-formula milk for malnourished children, some oil, and a little sugar.

One woman, a mother of three, told us that she had only enough money to feed her family for the next two days.

Forced to a standstill, FH awaited the permission of OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), pending the confirmation of certain legal uncertainties, to continue its assistance in relieving the crisis at the hospital. After a frightening few days of silence, the previous benefactor, World Food Program, decided to resume their partnership with the hospital.

Now, the food and milk is distributed directly to the families and placed in their care, so as to deter future theft. Investigation of the crime is still in progress.

by: Nathan Brien, FH DR Congo

Relief Assessment Begins

2008-11-18T00:36:00.000-08:00

In response to the crisis in North Kivu, FH is looking into what gaps there are in humanitarian aid. At least 250,000 have been displaced in this region due to armed conflict between various rebel groups and the Congolese national army in the last few months. Living conditions of people in the displaced camps are marked with the lack of sanitation, food items and education structures. In Rutshuru area alone over 85% of schools have shut down due to insecurity.

FH is sending a relief assessment team to Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu today to determine a potential relief response.

Sign up for email updates to track with the team and check back often to see what we are seeing.

To read the latest from the crisis and sign up, click here:

http://www.fhglobal.org/explore/crisis_in_congo.php

2008-10-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

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