MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (Nov. 6, 2008)—World Vision is calling on regional and global leaders who will meet in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday to take concrete action to end the decade-long conflict in the Democratic Republic of  the Congo (DRC) that has claimed some four million lives and displaced more than 1.2 million civilians. Among those scheduled to attend the summit convened by the United Nations and the African Union are DRC President Joseph Kabila, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“Children and women make up more than half of the 1.2 million displaced people and yet their voices go unheard. We have to speak out on their behalf and call for an end to the killing and forced displacement of civilians before another generation of children is lost,” said Jennifer Harold, Director of Regional Programs at World Vision Canada, who recently returned from a six-week assignment in eastern DRC.

Renewed fighting in eastern DRC between government and rebel forces resulted in the displacement of at least 250,000 people—many of them children, elderly women, and the sick— in addition to the 1.2 million civilians already displaced since 1998 when the conflict began.

Harold says that women and children are especially vulnerable as they flee the violence. “Lost children are a common sight. As families flee, exhausted mothers hold their babies in front; carry all their worldly goods on their backs and their other children trail alongside. Tired toddlers desperately try to keep up but they get lost in the confusion and often they get picked up by unscrupulous people and fighters from all sides,” she said.

World Vision, an international development and relief organization that has worked in the DRC for 20 years, is calling on leaders at this week’s summit to take the following actions:

• That the summit attendees in Nairobi—in particular the governments of DRC and Rwanda—begin genuine negotiations toward a lasting solution of the crisis, including addressing the historical root causes that have perpetuated the conflict.
  
• That DRC’s neighbouring governments— in particular Rwanda and Zambia—keep their borders open to refugees fleeing the current fighting.
  
• That the international community recommit to financing a humanitarian response in eastern DRC commensurate with the needs, while strengthening weakened aid infrastructure and meeting the needs of newly displaced people.
  
• That all parties concerned immediately cease all hostilities and establish a humanitarian corridor to enable access by aid workers to those in need across North Kivu province.
  
• That the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) prioritizes the protection of civilians and creates a secure environment for aid workers to resume operations.
  

Following the recent escalation of violence, World Vision is distributing emergency supplies to more than 100,000 people and plans to reach as many as 400,000 people in the next 90 days.

World Vision’s operations will concentrate in Shasha, Minova, Rutshuru and Goma. Assessment teams visiting a camp in Shasha where about 900 people live reported acute needs for food, shelter and emergency supplies. “People are living under dried banana leaves and it’s the rainy season,” said Jennifer Harold. “Many women reported being raped while collecting firewood in the nearby hills.”

World Vision has served in eastern DRC since 1993, providing agricultural training and child protection programs, as well as a large-scale water and sanitation project funded by Canadian International Development Agency.

Canadian donors to World Vision sponsor 21,625 children in the DRC, all of whom live in the south and west of the country and are not directly affected by the fighting.

World Vision is accepting donations to assist those affected by the crisis. Those wishing to help can visit WorldVision.ca or call 1-800-268-5528 (1-800-363-5021 for French).

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.


To interview Jennifer Harold or World Vision aid workers in eastern DRC, please contact:

Yoko Kobayashi
905-565-6200 ext. 2151
416-671-0086 (cell)
yoko_kobayashi@WorldVision.ca

Alex Sancton
905-565-6200 ext. 3949
416-419-1321 (cell)
alex_sancton@WorldVision.ca