Unicef raises US$1.4M for refugee needs in DRC and Rwanda

The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on May 22 displaced more than 400,000 and destroyed over 3,600 houses, as well as schools, markets and water infrastructure.

CAPE TOWN, July 19 (ANA) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said on Sunday that it has raised US$1.4 million, or 24% of the US$6 million for which it appealed to continue delivering life-saving services to refugees, children and families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impacts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.

Without additional funding, the agency said it will not be able to maintain and scale up its humanitarian action to address the essential and critical needs of refugees, more than half of whom are women and children, who face heightened vulnerability within and outside camps.

The humanitarian context in Rwanda from January to June was marked by a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, a short-lived influx into Rwanda of a few thousand people fleeing the Mount Nyiragongo volcanic eruption in the DRC, and the continuing assistance to tens of thousands of refugees living in Rwanda.

The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on May 22 in Goma in the eastern DRC killed at least 32 people, displaced more than 400,000 and destroyed over 3,600 houses, as well as schools, markets and water infrastructure.

Hundreds of thousands of people who were victims of the volcanic eruption remain in urgent need, according to international aid and development agency Caritas Australia.

Following the eruption, around 8,000 crossed the border into Rwanda. Unicef participated in the emergency response to volcano-affected people in Rwanda under the co-ordination of the government of Rwanda and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). So far, the vast majority of people displaced into Rwanda have returned to Goma and all the sites have been closed.

The government of Rwanda, the World Bank and other partners are conducting a post-disaster needs assessment to inform potential needs of Rwandans affected by the volcanic eruption, Unicef said.

On May 3, the DRC’s Minister of Health declared the end of the Ebola outbreak that affected four health zones in the North Kivu province, neighbouring Rwanda. During the three-month outbreak, 12 cases and six deaths were reported.

This was the 12th outbreak reported in the DRC and the second in North Kivu in the past three years.

“Unicef continues to support the government of Rwanda to mitigate the secondary effects of Covid-19 on children and families, including in providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for community health workers and child protection volunteers,” the report said.

Unicef also continues to support the government of Rwanda’s response to refugees and preparedness efforts to prevent other deadly outbreaks, including Ebola.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher