CERF allocates US$ 2 million for humanitarian aid to displaced persons in the Central African Republic
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| A young mother prepares to breastfeed her daughter after fleeing into the bush when armed groups attacked the village of Boutouli [Photo: UNHCR] |
27 May 2008: The humanitarian community in the CAR estimates that one million people, a quarter of the population, are affected by the on-going hostilities in the north of the country. Some 305,000 people remained displaced, including 108,000 currently in Chad, Cameroon and Sudan.
To reduce morbidity and mortality through water-related diseases among internally displaced persons (IDPs), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is using a CERF grant to supply jerry cans, soap, buckets, water disinfection tablets and other items and provide access to functioning sanitation facilities to 45,000 beneficiaries for a period of three months. With a CERF allocation, UNICEF, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are seeking to reduce the maternal mortality rate as it remains one of the highest in the world. The UN agencies are providing basic reproductive health equipment to half of the delivery rooms of health facilities and making sure that trained staff is present at deliveries, targeting some 160,000 pregnant and 650,000 women of reproductive age.
Over 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in appalling conditions in the north-western prefectures of Nana-Gribizi, Ouham and Ouham-Pendé. A CERF allocation is enabling the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to strengthen the protection of 150,000 people, including 48,000 women and children, and the recovery process of affected households through community initiatives to increase their social and economic capacities.
Using a CERF grant, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is addressing morbidity and mortality among people affected by the conflict through the rehabilitation of the health system in Vakaga and Haute-Kotto prefectures. UNDP is increasing health care services via the provision of essential drug supplies and trained local health workers who are being employed in Medical Mobile Units. UNDP is also protecting IDPs in Ouham; over 24,000 IDPs are being provided with increased protection through trained national staff, local authorities, armed forces and others. UNDP is working closely within the protection cluster for all protection-related activities.
[Last Update: 24 June 2008]
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CERF allocates US$ 1 million to provide safe air services to humanitarian workers in the Central African Republic
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The plane hired by the World Food Program (WFP), Bangui, Central African Republic
[Photo: IRIN]
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19 February: The ongoing armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) is directly affecting approximately one quarter of the country’s four million inhabitants, while another million could be at risk. UN agencies and their NGO partners are supporting the Government in responding to the needs of these affected populations. However, due to insecurity and poor infrastructure, access to the beneficiaries remains a key challenge. A safe and reliable air service, as the Humanitarian Coordinator requested, remains therefore crucial for a timely and safe delivery of assistance to the vulnerable populations in the country.
CERF funding is enabling the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to make regularly scheduled flights to 15 destinations in CAR. UNHAS is chartering two aircrafts with five crew members to run this operation. Each of about 100 flights every month is expected to airlift some 200 passengers and six metric tonnes of cargo. At least 38 NGOs and UN agencies are benefiting from the services.
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[Last Update: 25 February 2008]