RRMP NFI Interactive 131220
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Caught between the fight Blanketed into the hills of South Kivu and inaccessible by car, the self-sufficient farming community of Ngandu was peaceful with its agrarian lifestyle, according to Severin, a local Chief. Since 2009, however, this tranquility has been replaced with gunfire, displacement, and now destruction. Having been a host community to families displaced by the violence of the Forces for the Democratic Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels over the last years, recent fighting between rebels of the Raia Mutomboki (RM) and FDLR, then the RM and Congolese Army (FARDC) lead more than 6,000 families around Ngandu to now seek refuge themselves. “We first left in February when they started fighting, but were able to return in March,” said Agathe, 30, a mother of 3 from Ngandu. “Now again the fighting was too much, so we came here (to Mwenga) to be safe. I’ve heard that the only houses not burned are home to fighters now.” ECHO continues to support UNICEF and OCHA’s RRMP NFI Fairs Mwenga Territory, South Kivu, The Democratic Republic of the Congo. A tailored response It is in this context of perpetual instability that ECHO, as the largest single program donor, helps the UNICEF/ OCHA Rapid Response to Movements of Population (RRMP) program operate. Designed to provide support at a moment when families are most vulnerable, the RRMP works through a network of partner organizations to re- spond with life-saving interventions immediately following a population movement such as that in Ngandu. Earlier in 2013, RRMP partner AVSI – an Italian NGO op- erating in DRC since 1971– sent in several multi-sectori- al analysis (MSA) teams to gauge the severity of needs within the affected communities. Relaying this information to the humanitarian community, it was decided that AVSI would intervene with a Non-Food Item (NFI) fair to support 3,000 of the most vulnerable displaced and host families. In an effort to provide emergency aid while promoting the dignity of those involved, NFI Fairs are an alternative form of distribution which began as a pilot program in 2009 and grew to represent more than half of the RRMP NFI support in 2012, which served more than 900,000 people. Rather than receiving a pre-composed kit, families are given cash vouchers worth between US$ 40-100 which can be used as they browse, compare and bargain to buy what they choose in a closed market setting made up of between 40-80 participating vendors identified from local and regional markets. “The advantage of the fair is that it’s able to serve the vulnerable households in a way that they are free to choose the exact items that will serve them best in their households,” explained Karl Kashali, an AVSI RRMP Field Officer. “Another advantage is that it allows of to reinforce the local economy, because these vendors who participate are also members of the communities.” “I’m really content with what I purchased,” Agathe explained of the basins, saucepans and clothing she purchased at the fair in May. “Most importantly, I can now prepare food for the family.” ©UNICEF RDC / 2013 / Morton The Rapid Response to Movements of Populations (RRMP) is a multi-sector, multi-partner program implemented by UNICEF and OCHA and operating in the eastern provinces of DRC where it deploys rapid assessment and re- sponse teams covering the sectors of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Emer- gency Education, Health and Essential household Non-Food Relief Items. The RRMP is generously funded by ECHO, the Pooled Fund, UKAid, USAID, the Japanese Government, SIDA and the Korean Government, and implemented by INGO partners AVSI, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, Merlin, Save the Children and Solidarités International.
Transcript of RRMP NFI Interactive 131220
Caught between the fightBlanketed into the hills of South Kivu and inaccessible by car, the self-sufficient farming community of Ngandu was peaceful with its agrarian lifestyle, according to Severin, a local Chief. Since 2009, however, this tranquility has been replaced with gunfire, displacement, and now destruction.
Having been a host community to families displaced by the violence of the Forces for the Democratic Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels over the last years, recent fighting between rebels of the Raia Mutomboki (RM) and FDLR, then the RM and Congolese Army (FARDC) lead more than 6,000 families around Ngandu to now seek refuge themselves.
“We first left in February when they started fighting, but were able to return in March,” said Agathe, 30, a mother of 3 from Ngandu. “Now again the fighting was too much, so we came here (to Mwenga) to be safe. I’ve heard that the only houses not burned are home to fighters now.”
ECHO continues to support UNICEF and OCHA’s RRMP NFI FairsMwenga Territory, South Kivu, The Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A tailored responseIt is in this context of perpetual instability that ECHO, as the largest single program donor, helps the UNICEF/OCHA Rapid Response to Movements of Population (RRMP) program operate. Designed to provide support at a moment when families are most vulnerable, the RRMP works through a network of partner organizations to re-spond with life-saving interventions immediately following a population movement such as that in Ngandu.
Earlier in 2013, RRMP partner AVSI – an Italian NGO op-erating in DRC since 1971– sent in several multi-sectori-al analysis (MSA) teams to gauge the severity of needs within the affected communities. Relaying this information to the humanitarian community, it was decided that AVSI
would intervene with a Non-Food Item (NFI) fair to support 3,000 of the most vulnerable displaced and host families.
In an effort to provide emergency aid while promoting the dignity of those involved, NFI Fairs are an alternative form of distribution which began as a pilot program in 2009 and grew to represent more than half of the RRMP NFI support in 2012, which served more than 900,000 people. Rather than receiving a pre-composed kit, families are given cash vouchers worth between US$ 40-100 which can be used as they browse, compare and bargain to buy what they choose in a closed market setting made up of between 40-80 participating vendors identified from local and regional markets.
“The advantage of the fair is that it’s able to serve the vulnerable households in a way that they are free to choose the exact items that will serve them best in their households,” explained Karl Kashali, an AVSI RRMP Field Officer. “Another advantage is that it allows of to reinforce the local economy, because these vendors who participate are also members of the communities.”
“I’m really content with what I purchased,” Agathe explained of the basins, saucepans and clothing she purchased at the fair in May. “Most importantly, I can now prepare food for the family.”
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The Rapid Response to Movements of Populations (RRMP) is a multi-sector, multi-partner program implemented by UNICEF and OCHA and operating in the eastern provinces of DRC where it deploys rapid assessment and re-sponse teams covering the sectors of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Emer-gency Education, Health and Essential household Non-Food Relief Items. The RRMP is generously funded by ECHO, the Pooled Fund, UKAid, USAID, the Japanese Government, SIDA and the Korean Government, and implemented by INGO partners AVSI, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, Merlin, Save the Children and Solidarités International.
