February 20, 2023: We are on the third day of our emergency project "TUSI WA ACHILIYE BULENGO I".  As every morning we arrive, and after having aimed the mission order with the camp authorities, we spread ourselves  around the camp. Some, the mobilizers, enter the camp, the psychological assistants head to the  listening house where some displaced people are already waiting for them, and the last team heads to the inter-agency meeting for a briefing between all the humanitarian actors working in the camp. 

Today the APS receive a dozen people to listen to. Each case with its particularities. First this man met in his hut made of branches and leaves, he is 56 years old, lying on his bed made from fallen leaves. He is suffering and shows distress. He is from Mweso and has separated from his family. He believes that his family is in another camp south of Mweso, but between Goma and Mweso, it is difficult to bridge the gap following the clashes. He has been suffering for days, and unfortunately his illness seems to be chronic and has increased with vulnerability. It has therefore not been supported by the agencies present here. They asked him to go to a well-established specialized hospital; it's unfair to him, everyone knows he can't afford it. Our APS listen to him and give him some guidance. We will ask our medical team, made up of trainee doctors, and we will come back to see to what extent it should be taken care of.

But another very glaring case; We receive a young lady. A 26-year-old from Kichanga, she says she was raped two days ago when she left the nearby Mugunga neighborhood around 6 p.m. She was forcibly taken by a group of young boys who abandoned her afterwards. The situation is very complex here, difficult to trace the culprits, but fortunately it is still within the 72 hours that save raped women.  We quickly make a referral to MSF for appropriate treatment. But she's in shock, and our mental health team continues to follow up. This is often the case in such situations, in camps for internally displaced persons, the risk of rape is high. Awareness of this issue needs to be raised, addressed, and rapists punished.

AGIR’s mobilizers penetrated the other side of the camp. They evaluate the hygiene committees set up three days ago and install new ones. Displaced people testify to the first good results. In block 72, for example, the committee directs all its citizens to the waste area. No one is allowed to put waste next to his hut, everyone finds interest in this rule. This is already a success story for health committees, and this community discipline demonstrates how it is possible to reduce disease substantially. The mobilizers are creating others in other blocs where committees have not yet been elected. Latrines are largely inadequate for a population that is now close to 80 000 people, but we will have to deal with them in the meantime. It must be said that waste management and latrines are at the root of significant conflicts between displaced people who exchange grievances on the basis of the countries of origin. 6 mediations were conducted by the mobilization team between 6 displaced families. The camp is growing day by day. On the north side of the camp, just at the entrance, other blocs settle, made up of the new arrivals. The day is therefore ending and, given the complexity of the situation, our teams know that tomorrow awaits them with a huge package of challenges. That is the end for today.

See you tomorrow, with even more energy.

Our team participates in the Health Cluster with the Ministry of Health. They discussed the case, and various agencies affirmed the need for preventive measures and particular attention to this issue. Searching for wood (cooking fuel) in the bush for unaccompanied women should not be allowed as a first step. But more systemic measures need to be put in place. We promise to talk about it in the next meeting of the health cluster this Wednesday at 11am at the office of the Chief Doctor of Zone. The risk is that many cases of rape do/will exist in the camp, but there is not yet a clear and popularized denunciation system, the coming days should be decisive in defining steps in order to face this scourge. Our mental health team has echoed this situation with the community mobilization team and activities in this direction are quickly recommended to mobilizers.

Photo AGIR DRC, February 2023