Published: 20 February 2004
The International Federation today launched an appeal for 4.9 million Swiss francs (US$3.9 million) to assist 283,000 Angolan refugees and members of their host communities in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
In Angola, the Red Cross will assist some 94,000 returnees who fled to neighbouring countries during the three decade-long civil war, as well as approximately 54,000 of the local population where the returnees will settle. In Zambia, the appeal will focus on helping 50,000 people in host communities, while 85,000 refugees and members of local communities in DRC will also be assisted.
The appeal seeks to address the fact that in all the communities concerned, there is a lack of infrastructure and minimal access to educational or health services. In all three countries, the national Red Cross societies, supported by the Federation, will implement community-based health programmes, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and water and sanitation improvements. In Angola, this will be supplemented by mine awareness and educational support, since many returning children have limited knowledge of Portuguese.
When a mass exodus takes place, international attention tends to focus on the refugees, but hosting communities are also need humanitarian support. The presence of the Angolan refugees, combined with food shortages, overgrazing and deforestation, poverty and HIV/AIDS, has strained traditional coping mechanisms in Zambia and the DRC to the limit.
“The legacy of hosting large numbers of refugees for decades has been largely overlooked. There is an urgent need to assist the local population through the restoration and rehabilitation of basic infrastructure in health, water and sanitation, agro-forestry and social services,” explains Alasan Senghore, Head of the Federation’s Southern Africa regional delegation.