International Medical Corps Assists Thousands of Displaced Congolese

Photo by: IMC

IMC distributes food to families of more than 1,400 malnourished children

Los Angeles, October 22, 2007 – International Medical Corps (IMC) is providing life-saving health care to thousands of displaced people in North Kivu, located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Heavy fighting between rebel forces and the Congolese military in the eastern district of Masisi has created a large exodus of civilians. In total 375,000 have been displaced in North Kivu over the last year and more than 160,000 people have fled their homes since the fighting intensified in the last two months. Many have settled in makeshift camps on petrified lava fields in the Mugunga, Bulengo, and Buyimba camps, a few miles from the city of Goma. Tens of thousand remain beyond the reach of aid organizations.

“The fighting continues and more people are displaced by the day. They are in urgent need of medical assistance,” says Birame Sarr, International Medical Corps Country Director in DRC. “We are trying our best to reach as many people as possible.”

International Medical Corps responded swiftly to the unfolding humanitarian crisis by dispatching personnel, drugs, vehicles, and equipment, working closely with local authorities and other partner agencies. In cooperation with local authorities IMC is assisting eight health centers and posts close to the biggest camps and in areas where people are vulnerable to further displacement.

Child protection workers with the UN and other organizations have warned that recruitment of children by armed groups has gone up since the fighting intensified in September. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that they have recorded 60 percent more rape cases in North Kivu over the last two months.

So far International Medical Corps health workers, in cooperation with staff from the Ministry of Health, have seen 13,000 patients. Many of them suffer from diarrhea, malaria, worm infestation, respiratory infections, severe dehydration, and injuries from rape and sexual violence. Infants seem to be most affected and many show signs of malnutrition. Fourteen hundred malnourished children are being treated by IMC with food provided by the World Food Programme.

International Medical Corps has transported 293 critical patients to nearby hospitals and has built a therapeutic feeding center in Virunga hospital in Goma. IMC also participated in a joint vaccination campaign, together with North Kivu provincial health authorities, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, against measles and tetanus for 22,000 children.

Since its inception in 1984, International Medical Corps' mission has been clear: Relieve the suffering of those affected by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. Passing on essential skills that help people help themselves is critical if those hit by tragedy are to return to self-reliance. IMC has received a four-star rating for four consecutive years by Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator.