UNICEF DRC in 2016: Highlights
Our main successes and challenges
In spite of its vast physical size and limitless natural resources, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 176th out of 188 countries in the 2015 human development report. Child poverty is widespread, particularly in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach areas. According to a recent UNICEF study, 80 percent of children aged zero to 15 years old experience at least two major child rights deprivations.
Despite sustained growth in recent years, the size of DRC’s economy remains far too small to provide enough government revenue to meet the basic needs of the population, children in particular. In 2016, political instability, the persistence of conflicts in the East and the sharp fall in global commodity prices have been aggravating factors.
Security situation
The situation in the East and South of the country remains extremely volatile, with over 70 armed groups active in North and South Kivu alone.
The UN (OCHA) estimates that in 2016, 2,000 new people were displaced every day; movements of thousands of families — both newly displaced and newly returned — are reported every week.
Population movement in DRC is complex and dynamic: attacks on people and gross violations of human rights by dozens of non-state militias and government security forces continue, with zones of violence and displacement constantly shifting with zones of comparative calm and return. In 2016, DRC registered more than 1.9 million internally displaced persons (including 1.14 million children) and hosted 436,874 refugees.
Child survival and health care
Partnership efforts to improve decentralized health governance to boost effective coverage of high impact interventions in the area of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health made further progress in the 26 provinces.
In provinces featuring very high child mortality, UNICEF helped scale up family kits and community case management of child illnesses, reaching 1 million children under five.
With support from UNICEF and other partners, efforts to strengthen immunization services resulted in DRC sustaining its polio-free status and reducing the number of health zones experiencing measles outbreaks from 77 in 2013 to 24 in 2016. Nineteen and 11 million children were reached during polio and measles campaigns respectively.
To help prevent malnutrition, more than 1.7 million mothers and caregivers were sensitized on infant and young child feeding practices and vitamin A supplements and deworming tablets were provided to 7 million children.
Water, hygiene and sanitation
At the end of 2016, 3 million more people and over 410,000 more children had gained access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services compared to the 2013 baseline, thanks to the Healthy Schools and Villages National Programme supported by UNICEF and its partners.
The programme is on track to achieve its five year targets. In addition, WASH services were provided to 1,865,374 children and their families living in conflict affected areas.
Education
In the education sector, UNICEF facilitated access to basic education for 1,536,200 school-aged children through distribution of school kits/materials and provision of social protection measures, including grants to schools for vulnerable children, to reduce financial barriers and school dropout.
Back-to-school and door-to-door campaigns and data collection contributed to a 56% increase of children enrolled into first grade compared to 2015. UNICEF also supported early warning systems to reduce absenteeism, tutoring activities for children with learning difficulties, school club activities for the promotion of life skills, and peace education.
Right to identity and protection
Still too few children in DRC fully enjoy the right to an identity.
In 2016, with UNICEF support, the drive to massively increase birth registration saw the registration of 1,037,469 children, a 30% increase compared to 2015.
Under the co-leadership of UNICEF and MONUSCO, grave violations of children’s rights in situations of armed conflict were monitored and reported. Over 100,000 affected children and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) survivors were provided with medical, psycho-social, economic, and legal support. UNICEF assistance reached almost 90% of unaccompanied and separated children as well as children exiting armed forces and groups. Over 100,000 children in conflict with the law were provided access to juvenile justice services.
Creating a favorable environment for children’s rights
With UNICEF support, newly available disaggregated data on child deprivations contributed to development of more child-sensitive national development and social protection plans as well as Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) prioritization. With regard to communication for development, 71% of targeted parents and caregivers reported having adopted at least three key family practices.
The inclusion of children’s participation in UNICEF programmes, particularly in birth registration and education has helped boost the registration as well as the registration of vulnerable children in the first year of the primary school.
Emergency Response
In addition to the humanitarian emergencies created by this protracted cycle of violence, displacement, and return, are levels of acute malnutrition and emergency levels of morbidity and mortality caused by the entrenched structural problems of a fragile state. Outbreaks of cholera, measles, and yellow fever continue to threaten children’s survival in DRC. In 2016, DRC reported over 25,000 cholera cases, the largest number of cases since 2012, representing almost 90% of all cases in West and Central Africa.
The number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the DRC exceeds that of all countries of the Sahel.
UNICEF DRC in 2016 reached a total of 2.3 million people in need of emergency assistance. The Rapid Response of Movement of Populations (RRMP) remains the single largest humanitarian response programme in DRC, assisting over 1.2 million people in multiple sectors. Through the RRMP mechanism, 55,885 conflict-affected people were provided with medical assistance in the provinces of Tanganyika and Haut Katanga. In 2016, UNICEF played a critical role in the response and coordination of the cholera outbreak, and supporting more than 1.6 million cholera-affected people.
The Alternative Responses for Communities in Crisis (ARCC) cash transfer programme, set up in October 2016 the largest humanitarian cash intervention ever implemented in DRC with more than US$2 million delivered to almost 13,000 families in the Lubero territory.
More than 200,000 children with severe acute malnutrition received quality treatment in UNICEF supported nutrition programmes, resulting in a cure rate of 84%. UNICEF-supported programmes provided assistance to 90% of children exiting armed forces and groups and to 80% of unaccompanied and separated children.
UNICEF exceeded its target of 60,000 displaced and refugee children receiving psychosocial support through child-friendly spaces. A total of 250,190 children gained access to quality education and psychosocial support in a protective environment. UNICEF is a key player in humanitarian coordination by leading four out of eight active clusters in DRC (Non-Food Items/Shelter, Nutrition, Education and WASH).
Working in partnership with our donors
In DRC, UNICEF enjoys the trust of a number of resource mobilization partners including the Governments of Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA, the European Union, private foundations such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, the Micronutrient Initiative, Qatar EAC Initiative, Rotary International, as well as the Common Humanitarian Fund and UNICEF National Committees.
Holding one of the largest UNICEF Programmes in the world, UNCEF DRC maintained its rank as the biggest office in terms of fundraising in the organization and one of the top offices for budget utilization, as follows, in US$:
• Child Survival — 160,249,639 (with Health: 116,546,963 & WASH: 43,702,676)
• Education — 28,272,000
• Child Protection — 28,918,667
• Enabling environment (Promotion of Children Rights) — 10,641,903
• Emergency/Transition — 58,967,000
• Management — 9,720,000
• Programme Effectiveness — 5,271,097
• TOTAL — 302,040,306
