Yambassa’s residents rebuild their neighbourhood

ACTED in the Central African Republic continues to support populations willing to restore peace and security in their country after the 2013 and 2015 security crises caused massive population displacements throughout the country. Until the end of 2016, more than 40,000 people were still living in displacement sites in Bangui. These sites progressively closed in early 2017, leading many families to return to their neighbourhood and rebuild a new life.

Since January 2017, ACTED has been providing multisectoral support to displaced people willing to return, with one million euros support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), assisting 600 families whose homes were destroyed in rebuilding their shelters.

ACTED distributes vouchers that families can exchange for reconstruction materials and items on the markets. In order to ensure the reconstruction are completed in timely manner, vouchers are distributed as reconstruction works progress. Beneficiaries can buy the materials from local suppliers, thus allowing to increase the positive impact of the intervention.

In Yambassa, Patrick, one of the 600 beneficiaries, is building his house with his cousins. They made the bricks themselves out of clay. Patrick then received a first voucher that he used to buy materials for the door and windows. Leaning on his shovel with a big smile, he explains that the reconstruction works are progressing: “Once I will have finished building the walls and installing the door and windows, ACTED will give me another voucher that will enable me to install a steel roof”.

During the rainy season, building becomes more difficult for the beneficiaries, and ACTED teams are doing their best to support families through the distribution of tarpaulins and technical advice to prevent damages that could be caused by rainfalls. Walking around the neighbourhood, some completed houses are already to be seen, and beneficiaries are progressively resettling there. Very soon, this will be the case also for Patrick and his family.

By the end of the project, scheduled for December 2017, ACTED will have supported 17,500 people in the rebuilding of the districts of the 3rd area of Bangui. The rebuilding of shelters, the rehabilitation of wells and social cohesion activities will improve the situation in the neighborhoods and participate in the populations’ return.

ACTED also implements activities to improve their living conditions in their neighbourhoods. Neighbours have not seen each other for years, ACTED thus organizes speaking time and social cohesion activities to create trust between each other. Moreover, ACTED intends to repair water network in the locality so that the inhabitants of the districts can have water near their reconstructed house.

This document covers humanitarian aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.