ActionAid is working alongside more than 200,000 people in four Ituri Province camps where Ebola, armed conflict, and chronic under-resourcing are compounding a deepening crisis.
In Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, women living in displacement camps are navigating a compounding emergency: an active Ebola outbreak layered on top of ongoing armed conflict that already forced them from their homes. ActionAid has been listening directly to the women on the frontlines of this crisis, and what they describe is not helplessness. It is a daily reckoning with systemic failures that block access to food, water, information, and safety.
Borive Goy, a mother of 11 living in the Bukuja IDP camp after fleeing intercommunal conflict in 2018, describes how movement restrictions are cutting off livelihoods:
“Since movement is restricted, we have trouble accessing food. We no longer go to the fields every day like we used to. And the people for whom we work in the fields are avoiding giving us work for fear of being infected.”
The crisis extends to the most basic infrastructure. A single water tank is not enough for the families sharing it. Borive added:
“The biggest concern here is the lack of water. We have only one water tank, and to draw water, we have to wake up very early in the morning; even though it’s right in the camp, it’s not enough for all the families here.
When I leave the house and come back, they no longer rush to hug me like they used to. These small gestures of affection are becoming increasingly rare because of the fear of infection.”
The absence of accessible, accurate health information is compounding the danger. Imani Francine, 26, living with her husband in a camp in Irumu, is clear about what is missing:
“In the camp, there’s no one to provide medical care or explain more about Ebola to us. And there’s no one we can turn to for more information about Ebola.”
Gabriella Kawa, 61, living with her husband and three children in Bendeyi camp in Bunia, points to both the trust communities hold in local health workers and the gap that trust cannot bridge on its own:
“I trust the health workers at the health center near here the most. When we have a problem or don’t know what to do, we don’t know who to contact first. We don’t have a health facility in the camp.”
Overcrowded housing units are also generating protection risks specific to women. Borive Goy describes the intersection of gender-based violence risk and a complete loss of privacy:
“I’m often afraid when I have to go to the fields alone because of the cases of GBV that women experience. And our houses here are very close to one another; there’s really no privacy.”
Gabriella Kawa laid out the need more directly:
“We also need more hygiene kits and safe spaces where we can maintain our privacy. These challenges have a direct impact on our health, safety, and well-being.”
These demands are precise and practical, and they come from the women who know these camps best.
ActionAid is working in four displacement camps across Ituri Province, where more than 200,000 people are living through the compounding pressures of Ebola and armed conflict. ActionAid’s response is focused on what communities have identified as critical: food access, clean water, and hygiene resources.
Dr. Saani Yakubu Mohammed, the Country Director of ActionAid DRC, said:
“Sadly, many displaced families in camps are being squeezed by the double tragedy of dealing with the trauma of ongoing armed conflict and the fear of the Ebola outbreak. The situation in most camps makes it difficult to contain the outbreak with overcrowding and inadequate hygiene facilities. It is critical to prioritise women and young people-led solutions at the camps to address the displacement crisis.”
ENDS
Spokesperson details:
Dr. Saani Yakubu, Country Director of ActionAid DRC. He is in Kinshasa. For media requests, please email christal.james@actionaid.org or call 7046659743.
About ActionAid
ActionAid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. ActionAid USA is the U.S. member of the ActionAid federation, based in Washington, D.C.
