March 2015 - Over the course of 2014, the Central Africa and Great Lakes region was impacted by ongoing conflicts and insecurity in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as by the outbreak of the civil war in South Sudan. Each of these situations has led to large scale displacement of populations both internally and across national borders. Overall, across this region, there are now almost 1 million refugees. Food insecurity, particularly in the CAR and DRC, is widespread and child malnutrition rates remain alarmingly high. In total, more than 10 million people across the region are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2015. With the support of DFATD and other donors, UNHCR is contributing to improved living conditions for up to 1.6 million refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable people in Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Project activities include: (1) providing registration, identification documentation, and protection monitoring for refugees and IDPs; (2) promoting the prevention of, and rapid response to, sexual and gender-based violence through training and community sensitization campaigns; (3) addressing the basic needs of refugees and IDPs through the provision of health care, water and sanitation, education, and protection services; (4) providing livelihood supplies, equipment, and training to refugees to enhance livelihood opportunities and self-resilience; and (5) providing emergency shelter, basic household items, and rehabilitating infrastructure benefiting refugee and displaced populations.
