ACTED responds to the deteriorating nutritional situation in the North of DRC

In the North of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the nutritional situation of the host communities and refugees is of concern.

ACTED is responding to the needs of refugees and host communities with the support of the United States Agency for International Development. This project has focused on the provinces of Bas Uélé, Nord Oubangui and Sud Oubangui.

According to our estimates, in the province of South Oubangui alone, nearly 406,788 people are in an emergency food insecurity crisis.

Studying the nutritional situation to better respond to it

ACTED has conducted an analysis to assess the level of food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo between June 2018 and December 2019. The results of the analysis show that the three provinces are under pressure and facing serious food insecurity problems. Residents in the area struggle to meet their daily food needs.

The region also hosts a large number of refugees who have settled in the country, fleeing the conflicts in the Central African Republic. Refugees are no exception and are also in a situation of severe food insecurity.

Food aid to host communities and refugees

Since August 2019, ACTED has been implementing an immediate food assistance project for host communities but also for refugees present in the region. The project activities contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the populations while promoting resilience.

ACTED carries out food and cash distributions to respond to urgent and immediate needs. Then, in another phase, we carry out agricultural recovery activities with trainings, seed and tool distributions to improve the production capacities of vulnerable populations.

Before each distribution, the people we accompany have attended information sessions on food management, but also on the actions to be taken against Covid-19. The women were able to attend information meetings on breastfeeding and reproductive health practices.