Central African Republic
Tearfund has been operational in the Central African Republic (CAR) since January 2014 following a coup in December 2013 which sparked widespread violence and displacement across the country. Many people’s homes have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. In Boda a town in the Lobaye prefecture in the South Western region of CAR where Tearfund is working, nearly 12,000 people are living in IDP camps. Although the security situation in Lobaye has stabilised in recent months, there is still an underlying tension in communities.
Tearfund received funding from ECHO which enabled us to help meet the critical basic needs of 36,568 people in Boda. Thanks to this funding, Tearfund has provided 23,184 people with access to safe water from wells, boreholes and springs which has increased the percentage of households with access to safe water from 38% to 83%. We’ve also trained pump mechanics to ensure that the pumps will be well maintained. Latrine blocks were constructed in six IDP camps and five schools, with the result that 14,350 school children now have access to gender-friendly latrines. Tearfund staff also trained people in good hygiene practices. Community leaders have told us that their villages have seen a great reduction in the number of cases of diarrhea and intestinal worms demonstrating the impact of hygiene promotion work. 24,500 people affected by food insecurity received vegetable seeds, tools and training, enabling them to provide their families with food and to grow crops to sell, therefore restoring their livelihoods.
Through the funding provided by ECHO, Tearfund will be able to restore people’s ability to grow food and earn an income, as well as reduce the risk of waterborne and sanitation-related diseases for conflict-affected communities living in and around Boda.