Children carrying babies are among the many that are fleeing the escalating violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (E-DRC).
World Vision, working in DRC since 1993, has been a witness to the desperate situation of these people in the past few days. With no food to eat and no place to go, thousands filed along the road to Goma in hopes of escaping the violence that has erupted in Kibumba region, approximately 30 km from Goma. Many of them lived in Kibumba’s internally displaced camp, which is situated on the border between Rwanda and DRC. Most said they had lost all their property as they fled the conflict.
The fighting started when a major army camp in North Kivu province, approximately 25 km from World Vision’s office, was captured by rebels after heavy fighting with government forces. Sporadic gunshots could be heard as World Vision aid workers helped transport an elderly sick man who said he was suffering from acute tuberculosis and could not walk to Goma.
The international relief and development agency’s recent projects in the region have focused on child protection, water and sanitation, nutrition and supplementary feeding, food security and agriculture, HIV and AIDS projects, in addition to programs to help abandoned children in the war-torn country.
Canadian donors support 21,625 children in the DRC, out of 73,714 children supported by World Vision sponsors worldwide. Many of the communities where sponsored children live are in the south of the country and are not directly impacted by the fighting.
As the fighting closed in on Goma, World Vision staff members also joined the flood of refugees to temporarily evacuate to Rwanda, where the organization will set up an operational base to support those in need of help and monitor the situation.
“We remain very concerned about the humanitarian crisis here,” said Dr. Wilfred Mlay, World Vision Africa’s Vice-President. “We call on the international community to do all it can to ensure their safety, along with an immediate ceasefire that will allow full access to civilians by humanitarian agencies, including World Vision.”
Donate now to provide relief to families fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Listen to a first-hand account of the evacuation in this interview with a World Vision staff member on CBC Radio’s As It Happens.
