Andrei Neacsu in Goma
When the first medical kit from the Federation's stock was provided to the ICRC to be distributed in Goma, the satisfaction was understandable. The kit contained enough drugs and basic medical equipment to assist some 10,000 people during three months.
"Two of the city's four hospitals, three out of the 11 health centres and 80 out of Goma's 150 pharmacies were simply buried under two metres of lava. The rapid provision of essential equipment and drugs was one of our primary concerns", said Momodou Fye, Federation's Head of Delegation in Kinshasa, as he handed over the goods to the the Congolese Red Cross.
Four other identical medical kits and a cholera kit are already on their way to Goma.
"With Red Cross help we managed to rapidly restore the water supply system to a level which enabled us to avoid the outbreak of epidemics such as cholera. And if the power supply is on in major parts of the city it also thanks to ICRC's assistance", notes Joseph Mudumbi, Head of the Volcano Crisis Cell.
But the need for support remains. Authorities in co-operation with the international community are evaluating alternatives for resettling as quickly as possible the affected population. The task is not easy as - according to specialists on the ground - the volcano is still active, and any relocation should take into account the risk of another disaster.
Two sites, Mugunga and Lac Vert, were however identified at least as temporary solutions as an attempt to reduce risks of outbreak of epidemics caused by the fact that large number of people share a limited living space.
"The Red Cross Red Crescent is ready to accompany any voluntary resettlement by providing shelter and other relief articles such as kitchen sets and hygiene kits. The Congolese Red Cross could participate in preventative health education tasks," says Iain Logan, Federation's Head of Operations.
As an immediate measure the Congolese Red Cross with support from the Federation will assist 6.500 families in five out of Goma's 14 districts. Approximately 50,000 people, -almost half of the town's vulnerable population- will, as such, benefit from a one off distribution of emergency relief articles.
Jumping like a goat....
In Goma, everyone struggles to forget the nightmare and re-start a normal life. Lava is still hot and fires are still burning but already a bulldozer managed to cut through the spongy obstacle and re-establish a link between the isolated districts and the rest of the town. Every now and then a tremor - sometimes as strong as 5 degrees on the Richter scale - vibrates under peoples' feet. Whilst a source of concern for volcanologists, the population in Goma appears to pay little attention to it.
Jumping like a goat from a stone to another, eight year-old Patrick is happy to have managed to snatch a set of soup spoons out of the hot brittle magma and ruins. He claims these will be useful as his family lost everything in the disaster.
Not far away from the destruction site, John Rusheke, 34, can finally hold his daughter Rachel in his arms. Volunteer Félicien Katenda found the three year-old along the road and brought her to the Red Cross post installed a few metres away from where the lava flow stopped. In charge of the ad-hoc centre for non-accompanied children, Félicien and his team helped reunite with their families 43 out of the 65 children found by the Red Cross volunteers sometimes as far as Mudende, fifty kilometres inside neighbouring Rwanda.
In the neighbourhood of the airport where the municipality installed a transit site, the air is thick and heavy with pollution. Several hundred people coming from the heavily destroyed districts of Virunga and Majengo found a temporary shelter here. Everything is still to be installed and Congolese Red Cross volunteers are giving a hand.
"The volcano took my house away but not my force and desire to help others more vulnerable", says 18 year-old Kahindo Ngango without taking a break from her task.She is digging a latrine in one of the very rare earth spots around.
Kahindo finds her attitude just normal and she smiles shyly when she recalls what she did during the stampede that followed the volcanic eruption: "I found three unaccompanied children, put one on my back, grabbed the two others by their hands. We crossed the border safely to Gisenyi and we went to the Red Cross. I knew we were going to get help there".