Democratic Republic of the Congo
Humanitarian context
In 2020, the country is still heavily impacted by major social, health and political crises: population displacement due to attacks by armed groups, chronic malnutrition, recurrent epidemics, COVID-19, gender-based violence…
Armed groups still operating in the eastern provinces, inter-ethnic conflicts, and issues of access to land have caused much tension and internal displacement. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are 5,5 million displaced persons in the DRC, including 3,4 million children. In addition to that there is the Lake Chad crisis and Congolese returnees from Angola. At the beginning of 2020, 12,8 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, according to OCHA.
The country is regularly hit by epidemics of malaria, cholera, measles… From June to November 2020, the Équateur province experienced its 11th Ebola epidemic and 520,000 people are living with HIV according to UNAIDS. At the end of 2020, nearly 19,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported and more than 4,6 million children under five years of age suffer from acute malnutrition, including 2,2 million from severe acute malnutrition.
Key figures
implementation
Description of the mission
Première Urgence Internationale has been operating in the DRC since 2001, and has since deployed in several provinces, according to emergencies and prominent humanitarian needs.
After having long been recognized as a pilot NGO in the coordination of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the East, since 2017, the NGO has also demonstrated its ability to deploy and respond to major epidemics (Ebola, measles, COVID-19) as well as to population displacements. The core of its work is in the areas of primary health, sexual and reproductive health and the fight against malnutrition.
In 2020, Première Urgence Internationale was operational in Kinshasa, North Kivu, Tanganyika and Kasai. At the end of the year, the NGO opened a project in Mai-Ndombe.
Premiere Urgence Internationale in action
In 2020, Première Urgence Internationale is carrying out projects in Kinshasa, Kasai, North Kivu and Mai-Ndombe for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations, particularly for children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
In Kinshasa, the NGO is reducing the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations through a mobile application managing fake news. It also carries out infection prevention and control activities and continues to support health centers (training, rehabilitation, supply of medicines). Finally, the NGO is involved in reproductive and sexual health of vulnerable youth and adolescents with a focus on the prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS.
In Mai-Ndombe, in consortium with Action Against Hunger (ACF), which leads the project, ALIMA and MAGNA, Première Urgence Internationale contributes to the prevention of morbidity and mortality related to acute malnutrition for children under five and pregnant and lactating women through the PUNCH project.
In Kasai, the NGO runs a project to support population health, tackle food insecurity and respond to measles. It also has a project to counter the Ebola virus epidemic in North Kivu.
How your donations are used?
Each year, Première Urgence Internationale allocates most of its resources to the programs and activities and only 0.2% to fundraising. Your donations are crucial.