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Democratic Republic of the Congo UNHCR Mid-Month Update (1 – 15 March 2019)

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DR Congo
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UNHCR
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Refugees

■ As of 15 March 2,060 South Sudanese refugees had been relocated to Biringi settlement since February. Most of them had arrived during an influx in the first half of February, while some had also stayed along the border for years and complied with the authorities’ request to move further inland.

■ Due to strong wind, on 9-10 March, 222 refugee shelters were destroyed at Mole camp, Sud Ubangi Province, home to almost 15,000 Central African refugees. There is a need to rehabilitate these structures to avoid promiscuity in the camp.

■ In Nord Ubangi Province, six mill grinding machines were handed over to six associations of people with specific needs (PSN) living in and out-of-camp localities by UNHCR’s partner AIDES. Each association is made up of 10 members (seven Central African refugees and three locals), with the aim of creating income-generating activities and fostering peaceful coexistence.

■ In an ongoing effort to prevent Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and in response to recent SGBV cases in Lusenda and Mulongwe, South Kivu Province, UNHCR’s partner War Child and local Women’s and SGBV Committees organized awareness sessions targeting 774 participants (650 in Mulongwe settlement and 124 in Lusenda camp).

■ In South Kivu Province, 872 children enrolled in four different secondary schools (527 Burundian refugees and 345 Congolese) and their teachers participated in awareness-raising sessions organized by War Child on topics such as GBV in school, gender equality and early marriage which often leads to school drop-outs.

■ In a continuous effort to support access to education for refugee and Congolese children, UNHCR partner Action Aid distributed 7,251 uniforms to primary school children (5,471 to refugees and 712 to Congolese pupils) and secondary school children (831 to refugees and 237 to Congolese pupils) in schools surrounding Lusenda and Mulongwe.

■ 77 Rwandan refugees were repatriated from North Kivu. Figures are provisional, pending a final verification on the Rwandan side.

Congolese returnees

■ The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) started providing transportation for those returned and expelled from Angola, using profiling lists compiled last December by UNHCR, its partners War Child, CNR, and migration authorities. A list of 417 individuals out 6,463 profiled was shared with IOM.

**Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

■ 202 new shelters were constructed by UNHCR’s partner the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and handed over to returned IDPs in Niolu, Duvire, Yamamba and Tchomia localities in Djugu territory, Ituri Province. Three Health Centers were also rehabilitated in return areas, and handed over to the local community in Tchomia, Mgbavi and Blukwa.

■ UNHCR trained 69 protection monitors working in Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi and Tshikapa on a new communitybased approach with the objective to improve data collection, reporting and the response to incidents.

■ UNHCR carried out post-distribution monitoring surveys targeting 2,628 individuals among which 97% were women in Bunia and Djugu territory who had benefited from its cash-based interventions implemented in 2018.
The purpose of these surveys was to learn lessons from past interventions and guide the ones to be implemented in 2019. Results showed that cash-based interventions had positive effects on the beneficiaries’ lives, and risks were reduced through the use of cash. However the surveys also showed that there is a need to improve communication with beneficiaries throughout the process.

Coordination activities

Shelter Working Group

■ 82 staff working for 24 different humanitarian organisations were trained on implementing shelter/housing cash-based interventions using tools developed by the Shelter Working Group. Trainings were held in various humanitarian hubs (Goma, Bukavu, Kalemie, Kinshasa) so a large number of technicians could be trained. The tools (in French) are available on the Shelter Working Group’s website. Supplementary documentation with references to key guidance and tools is also available in the related guide (in English) which can be found here.