D.R. Congo > Activities by Sectors
Health Services
Three decades of dictatorship followed by seven years of war have left the country and its health system in a desolate state. Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2003, no significant progress has reached the remote locations of eastern DRC where Medair is working.
When Medair started working here in 1996, the medical authorities who had stayed in the country had not been paid for many years, and nurses and doctors had similarly not received training for years.
Many health facilities are now hundreds of kilometres away from the closest pharmaceutical depot, requiring risky travel on extremely bad roads.
Common diseases encountered in eastern Congo are malaria and diarrhoea, which are easily preventable.
Emergency Relief
Thanks to our long-lasting and widespread presence in Ituri and the Uélés districts, we are ready to respond quickly to various disease outbreaks when they are identified somewhere in the region.
Rehabilitation
Psychosocial treatment
Medair supports up to 30 health zones and over 500 health structures in D.R. Congo. That support includes technical guidance, supervision, training of health staff, and supply of medicines and materials. Over 5,000 health staff work in these facilities.
Over 100,000 people per month are treated in Medair-supported facilities, with many more benefiting from preventative activities and vaccinations, especially children.
Medair gives psychosocial training to health staff and school teachers, helping them to work compassionately with conflict-traumatised people,. We also provide training to sensitise the population about trauma issues in areas where fighting has been most acute.
Within Ituri, Medair places particular emphasis on assisting victims of sexual violence, and on providing psychosocial support for children. In Haut and Bas-Uélés, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention is one of the key areas of emphasis, while malaria treatment and prevention is a major focus in all areas.
Water & Sanitation (WatSan)
The lack of safe drinking water and sanitation in the region contributes or causes many of the diseases treated in the health facilities supported by Medair. For this reason, increasing efforts are being undertaken to improve these conditions, as well as to improve general hygiene in the health facilities.
Rehabilitation
Medair is working in collaboration with local communities to protect water sources, build latrines, and set up rainwater collection systems in the health structures. The water sources are then used by the entire surrounding communities.
Shelter & Infrastructure
Medair clinic building progressing rapidly.
Years of war in the region and ongoing clashes in Ituri have led to the destruction or damage of a lot of infrastructure, including health facilities. Many have been looted several times. Some villages in Ituri have been completely destroyed and burned down. The absence of infrastructure discourages displaced populations from returning to their areas of origin.
In remote locations of the Uélés, the facilities have degraded because of the rough conditions, limited access to construction materials, and the general poverty of the population.
Rehabilitation
Medair is rehabilitating and reconstructing health centres by working alongside local communities, who participate in the work and contribute raw materials. Health centres are refurbished with furniture and other materials where needed. Medair is also planning to rehabilitate the offices of the medical authorities for the health zones.
Improving health facilities is a positive incentive for health staff and health authorities, and highly beneficial for the populations using them. In some destroyed villages in Ituri, these improvements are a real motivation for displaced people to return to their homes.