2023 World Humanitarian Day in DR Congo: A Day to Commemorate and Reflect

By Tatiana Ballay, Communications Officer

Since 2008, World Humanitarian Day has been celebrated on August 19th. However, in 2023, the humanitarian community in Tanganyika province marked this day on August 25th in Kalemie. National and international humanitarian organizations, along with United Nations agencies operating in Tanganyika province—a fragile-context zone where the NEXUS approach is being implemented—took advantage of the day to showcase their achievements throughout 2023. Stands were set up within the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to serve as exhibition areas for the public, and among the exhibitors was World Vision.

According to OCHA, there are 19 operational actors in Tanganyika province implementing a total of 26 humanitarian projects. These projects primarily focus on the sectors of protection, food security, health, water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH), benefitting 1.1 million people, of which 351,000 are internally displaced persons, and 241,000 are returnees. Notably, of these 351,000 internally displaced persons, 51.7% are women. It's worth mentioning that approximately 93% of these internal displacements stem from armed conflicts, land disputes, and inter-community conflicts, particularly between the Twa (Pygmies) and the Bantu.

Julio Menayame, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Officer at World Vision, sheds light on the intricate humanitarian situation in Tanganyika province.

The humanitarian situation in Tanganyika province is complex due to the presence of numerous armed groups, inter-community tensions, epidemics, natural disasters and chronic poverty. Access to the affected populations is often limited by the security situation, the poor state of the roads and difficult geographical conditions.

World Vision's presence in Tanganyika encompasses four territories within the province: Kalemie, Moba, Manono, and Nyunzu. The organization is actively involved in various sectors, including General Food and Cash Distribution, Nutrition and WASH, and Food Security and Livelihoods. These critical projects are made possible through funding from the World Food Programme (WFP) and support from offices including World Vision Taiwan, World Vision Germany, and World Vision Canada.

During the World Humanitarian Day celebrations in Kalemie, the Governor of Tanganyika Province, Julie Ngungwa Mwayuma, joined by the Provincial Minister for Public Health and Humanitarian Action, Dr. Bob Kabezya Morisho, expressed her gratitude on behalf of the Congolese government. She commended all humanitarian actors for their unwavering efforts in assisting vulnerable populations in Tanganyika province and the Democratic Republic of Congo as a whole.