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“In my extended family, I am considered worthless because I can't provide any help or solutions to their problems. Faced with this handicap, some members of the community are sympathetic towards me; others, on the other hand, laugh at me, mock me.”
Itotecho is 65 years old. He is married, and a father to eight children - four boys and four girls. He has one leg, after surviving a bomb blast 25 years ago, and moves on crutches.
“As life became more and more difficult, my wife became the sole provider, covering all the household needs,” explains Itotecho. “I’m a tailor by trade, and a farmer. My family depended on this. We used to live happily together, enjoying the fruits of my labour. My family life was stable, and my children went to school thanks to this work. Now, some of our children are no longer in school for lack of funds.”
Itotecho and his family are among the seven million people internally displaced by violence and natural disasters in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
When forced to leave land, livestock, and livelihoods, parents struggle to feed their children. After decades of conflict, the world’s largest food crisis continues in DRC, with 25.8 million people (a quarter of the population) suffering crisis food insecurity in 2023.
Displacement is devastating for any family. Those already living in conditions of extreme poverty, without savings or valuable assets, are especially vulnerable.
For people living with a disability, the challenge is even greater.
Concern, in partnership with the European Union, is providing support to internally displaced people in eastern DRC. The programme, named SAFER, is a rapid response programme; Concern, in coordination with other humanitarian organisations, supports displaced families in the immediate aftermath of violent attacks. One form of support is cash.
Over 50 years of on-the-ground humanitarian work, and extensive academic research, has informed Concern’s understanding that directly giving cash is an effective way to support people experiencing a crisis or disaster. If there are functioning markets within reach, cash provides a family the opportunity and agency to meet their self-assessed needs.
Over the course of nine days in March 2024, Concern, in partnership with the EU and BHA (Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance), distributed cash to nearly 8,000 households (or 60,000 people) at a distribution site in South Kivu province, eastern DRC. Itotecho’s family were among those who benefitted. He describes the intervention as “a godsend.”
“As for the use of this assistance, in agreement with my wife, we will draw up a small list of priority needs – food, clothing, school fees. With the rest of the money, we will start a small business, to help the survival of our family. This aid will enable my family to resume our normal life.”
