IRC Launches Program in Central African Republic

Members of the International Rescue Committee's emergency response team will assemble in Central African Republic this weekend to prepare for a relief effort in the country’s northwest. Fighting between government troops and rebels in the region has displaced tens of thousands of people.

An IRC emergency assessment team traveled to Kaga Bandoro in December, a region where 54 villages had been razed and all 20,000 inhabitants forced to flee into the bush. “They have lost everything and are living in open fields where it gets very cold at night,” said Bob Kitchen, who is leading the mission back to the area. “They have no food or clean water. Most of them are sick and can’t access health care. They want to go home and rebuild. They want to plant crops. But they can’t because it’s not safe.”
 
Kitchen said the initial effort will focus on improving access to potable water and health care services. The team will also distribute basic supplies like blankets and jerry cans.