The Katanga emergency response is underway
Tuesday, 9 January 2007
The Katanga programme, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is facing its most challenging phase with rains increasing daily, leaving roads and bridges impassable.
Despite having two teams constantly working on rehabilitation, the trucks passing carry goods for distribution are regularly getting stuck on their way. It can now take up to two weeks for a truck to do the 120 km between the Concern bases in Dubié and Shamwana.
Luckily, the main bridge connecting Shamwana to the north with Concern’s villages of intervention has now been completed, so that the goods can now be distributed more directly.
The rehabilitation of transport infrastructure that is supported by ECHO and OFDA, is immensely important. Concern’s distributions of food, seeds, tools and resettlement kits to the newly returned population addressed their immediate needs.
In the longer term the transport rehabilitation is connecting these villages to the outside world. At the moment these villagers have little or no way to travel to surrounding villages and towns.
Despite all the difficulties the maize seeds have now been distributed to all the families, and can be seen growing in the fields beside the road.
As the schools in most villages in the area were destroyed during the war, the Unicef and ECHO funded programme to rehabilitate 26 schools in the area is getting huge support from the local population.
The villagers are contributing to the brick production and are volunteering in the rehabilitation work, as education is one of their top priorities.
Some villages have even built temporary schools so children can attend while reconstruction is underway. Plastic sheets were given to protect the children in these temporary structures from the increasing rains whilst they study.
