DRC:
Health care
Project: HUAMSI - Strengthening the primary and secondary healthcare system in North Kivu
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Contribution CARE Belgium: CARE Belgium supports the project in collaboration with other members of the CARE network, in particular through communication and fundraising activities.
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Location: North Kivu, Beni and Butembo health zones, RDC
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Context:
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Since its independence from Belgium in 1960, after more than 75 years of occupation, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has had to cope with numerous internal conflicts, inheriting a fragile colonial structure that left a highly diverse population, fragmented both ethnically and regionally. Added to this are external influences, such as the funding of militias and armed groups by neighboring countries, power struggles between different political elites that have led to periods of severe instability, and the country's wealth in natural resources, which has led to intense greed and fueled the race for control of these resources. Despite this wealth, the DRC remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with a very low GDP per capita and a largely informal economy.
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North Kivu, a province in the east of the DRC, is an unstable region marked by recurrent and complex crises involving security, humanitarian, economic and health issues. Inherited from the Great Lakes conflicts, this instability is fuelled by the presence of armed groups fighting for control of mining resources, tensions between natives and refugees, and massive population displacements. Humanitarian crises are exacerbated by food insecurity, gender-based violence affecting women and girls in particular, and recurrent epidemics such as Ebola and cholera, revealing the weakness of health infrastructures. In the face of these challenges, integrated responses are needed to build community resilience, protect vulnerable groups and stabilize the region in the long term.
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General objective
To help strengthen the primary and secondary healthcare system in North Kivu, so that it is accessible to the entire population and resilient in the face of epidemiological shocks, while guaranteeing high-quality care accessible to the entire population of North Kivu.​​​​​​​​​
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Period of execution: ​04/05/2021 - 31/12/2024​​​
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Beneficiaries: 700 000 people, including 370 604 women
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Main donor: Agence Française de Développement
Specific objectives
The first specific objective is to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality through the revitalization of primary and secondary health services and community participation in the Butembo and Beni health zones. To achieve this objective, the project aims to improve the availability and quality of healthcare by rehabilitating and equipping nine health centers, including mother-child areas and post-partum rooms. The purchase and distribution of essential medicines for 34 health centers also contributes to this improvement. In addition, the capacities and autonomy of communities are being strengthened, so that they can better mobilize, plan and monitor preventive and promotional health activities.These results will be achieved through a number of activities, including the rehabilitation of health centers, the supply of essential medicines and equipment, and the training of healthcare staff to provide better care for victims of violence and epidemic diseases. In addition, local communities are involved in the management of the health centers and trained to promote the importance of healthcare while evaluating the quality of services received.
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The second specific objective is to increase the capacity of health authorities to manage healthcare services and strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system in the face of epidemics. To achieve this, the technical and institutional capacities of the Division Provinciale de la Santé (DPS) and the health zones of Butembo and Beni are strengthened, enabling them to better manage primary and secondary care as well as responses to epidemics. In addition, community resilience to epidemic and socio-economic shocks is strengthened. Activities to achieve these results include training health authorities to manage health structures, setting up a surveillance system to limit the risk of epidemics, and creating Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to support community economic development, with a particular focus on women.
By integrating these approaches, the project aims to build the capacity of health systems and communities to deal effectively with health challenges, while guaranteeing high-quality, accessible care for the entire population of North Kivu.