U.N. and aid agencies, ambassadors, donors and media gathered in Nairobi, Kenya last Tuesday to launch a US$154.5 million appeal to fund projects in six “African Great Lakes” countries in 2006.

|TOP|The meeting on Dec. 6 featured a jointly-agreed consolidated action plan which seeks funding of proposed projects that relief agencies had agreed upon for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo.

"This is a very important moment each year, and it is the result of analysis and prioritisation by the U.N. and partner agencies," said Africa relief director Philippe Guiton, who represented World Vision (WV) at the launch, in a WV report. "We have been fully involved in this process, helping to assess the big issues that affect the Great Lakes, and the responses that we all need to make."

Among the topics highlighted at this year’s appeal were food relief, displaced people due to insecurity, and HIV/AIDS.

|AD|"Even if in some places the armed conflict has stopped, people are still suffering. We need transitional support, and that is not a minor thing after peace comes. It is essential for the consolidation of peace,” said Valerie Juilland, the Central and East Africa head of the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, according to WV.

WV noted that “enormous needs remain,” stating that the number of people estimated to need food relief has risen from 1.8 million to 2.5 million in 2006 and rates of displaced people and HIV/AIDS are rising fast in much of the region.

"Three million displaced people returned home last year in Africa," said Dennis McNamara, Inter-agency internal displacement divisional director. "That's the highest number of returned displaced population in Africa in the last decade. But three million more were displaced by land disputes, hunger and conflict."

In addition, Swiss ambassador Pierre Combernous spoke about the “slow genocide” of northern Uganda and remarked that the government was adding to the problem by collecting people in displacement camps for nearly two decades.

"Donor governments who work with partner governments in situations like this can convince them that they have a responsibility in helping in the management of such crises," Combernous said.

The issue of sexual exploitation and abuse was also a key topic raised by Nicola Dahrendorf, the director of the Office for Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the MONUC mission in the DRC.

"Sexual violence is one of the most challenging of human rights violations. The consequences are long term, profound and far-reaching. They are emotionally, physically and psychologically very damaging,” Dahrendorf said.

In her recent visit to a hospital in North Kivu (eastern DRC), she found the youngest rape victim was 18 month old, and the oldest in her 70s.







Michelle Vu
Christian Today Correspondent