M23 crisis: Caritas Butembo-Beni distributes essential household items to 1,892 displaced households in Kayna health zone

2023-06-09 10:54:05

BUTEMBO – Caritas Butembo Beni is distributing essential household items and feminine hygiene kits to 1,892 war-displaced households from the M23 crisis. These beneficiaries, mainly from Rutshuru territory, were identified in the Kayna health zone, in the Tama and Itala groups in Lubero territory, an area in which they found themselves to seek shelter from armed violence by the group. M23 rebel.

Each of the 1892 AME kits consisted of two mats, two blankets, a 22-litre plastic basin, a loincloth and a women’s shirt, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt and men’s trousers, children’s clothes, a tarpaulin, a 20-litre container, six beakers, six spoons, four metal bowls, two saucepans, a knife, a ladle.

The distribution of Essential Household Items was coupled with the distribution of 1,892 feminine hygiene kits to 1,892 war-displaced women of childbearing age, with particular attention to young girls.

Each of the Feminine Hygiene Kits consisted of six underwear, six reusable cottons, a plastic bucket, a drying rope, twelve drying pegs and two bars of soap.

Caritas Butembo Beni organized focus groups each bringing together 20 women to raise awareness about women’s intimate hygiene. This sensitization touched on the need to provide young girls with these intimate hygiene kits and their use.

For Jeanancy KALUNGERO, an agent engaged in the implementation of the said project, the objective of this awareness is on the one hand to bring these vulnerable women to take care of their bodies in this difficult situation and, on the other hand, to spare them from some diseases.

For beneficiaries, this assistance comes at the right time. Above all, it responds to a real need of those displaced by war who have been involved in the violent clashes between the M23 and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the province of North Kivu.

Mwangaza Prémices is 23 years old and a beneficiary of the Rutshuru III project. He has been displaced by the war for four months from Kibirizi, and father of a family of two children. In Biringa where he was welcomed, he lives with a host family. Due to lack of capacity of this host family, a room was requested for Mr. Prémices at the neighbour’s. In this room without a bed, mattress, sheet or blanket, all the members of the family displaced by war slept on the dead leaves of the banana trees.

“I came from Kibirizi four months ago, I live with a host family with my relatives. As they don’t have enough room, they asked for a room next door for me and my family. We don’t have a bed or a mattress. My wife, our two children and I sleep on dry banana leaves. We also don’t have clothes,” says Mwangaza Prémices, head of household of a displaced family.

It is with this assistance in Essential Household Items that Prémises and her family find salvation. “Caritas Butembo-Beni has just given me clothes, a tarpaulin, sleeping and kitchen items. You have just helped me a lot because these items will allow me to sleep well and to cook food well,” rejoices the Prémices beneficiary.

These activities were carried out within the framework of the Multisectoral Response on Rutshuru Crisis project. It has four components, assistance with Essential Household Items kits, assistance with intimate hygiene kits, psychosocial support and social cohesion. Caritas Butembo-Beni is in charge of the first two components and CRS of two others. The project is funded by the Church of Latter Day Saints (LCD).

The Kayna health zone is one of the zones that have received a large number of war-displaced persons, which has accentuated the humanitarian crisis in this part of North Kivu. Caritas Butembo-Beni and CRS selected the 1,892 most vulnerable households based on their ability to meet the need.

Source: Caritas Butembo-Beni press release, 05.06.23

Images – source : Caritas Butembo-Beni