DR Congo
USAID's Strategy in DR Congo
A peaceful Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a key
to regional stability, given its size and central location
in the continent. The USAID program in the DRC is fully integrated
into the U.S. government’s diplomatic efforts to broker
peace within the DRC and in the region, and complements the
$200 million annual USG contribution to the United Nations
PeaceKeeping Operation in the Congo. USAID/DRC focuses on
health, food security and agriculture, democracy and governance,
education, protecting biodiversity in the Congo Basin Region,
and conflict resolution.
IMPROVING HEALTH CARE
Life expectancy for men and women is only 46 and 51 years,
respectively. The USAID health program increases access to
and improves the quality of key health services. An emphasis
is placed on malaria treatment and prevention, routine vaccinations,
HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and improving health care provider
performance and drug supply systems. Overall immunization
levels in USAID-assisted health zones are above national levels.
For example, a polio campaign organized in part of the country
in 2004 resulted in as many as 98 percent of the children
being immunized.
INCREASING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Agriculture is central to the lives of the 67 percent of
Congolese living in rural areas. For that reason, USAID supports
programs to help farmers grow more and better crops. One program
has improved agricultural productivity by rehabilitating rural
roads and distributing improved seeds. USAID has provided
50,000 farmers with support for growing cassava—a staple
crop—and has produced four cassava mosaic disease-resistant
varieties. Another USAID activity is organizing agricultural
credit associations in the eastern DRC, particularly targeting
women.
PROMOTING DEMOCRACY
The DRC’s first general elections are scheduled to
take place between June 2005 and June 2006. To prepare, USAID
is helping establish democratic institutions, including supporting
the development of electoral, national, and decentralization
laws and a new constitution. USAID is supporting resource
centers, workshops, public forums, and radio programming to
inform citizen participation in the political process. As
a result, public involvement in reviewing and drafting key
legislation has improved markedly. USAID also helps strengthen
community conflict resolution and local governance. Through
its anti-corruption program, USAID decreased the number of
taxes and fees levied on western Congo River traffic from
over 24 to four, and improved profitability of businesses
operating on the river by 20 percent.
IMPROVING BASIC EDUCATION
Only 56 percent of women in the DRC know how to read. USAID
seeks to improve access to and quality of basic education,
especially for girls, through innovative teacher training,
distribution and proper use of educational materials, and
encouraging community participation in education. USAID is
training teachers via radio- and internet-based programs.
Radio programs also broadcast messages on the importance of
girls’ education to local communities. Scholarships
to vulnerable girls complement these activities. Over 11,000
primary school girls received scholarships for the 2003-2004
school year.
PROTECTING FOREST RESOURCES
Millions of people depend on the Central African rainforest
for their livelihoods, but this is under threat from conflict
and illegal logging. Through the Central African Regional
Program for the Environment (CARPE), USAID seeks to reduce
the rate of forest degradation and loss of biodiversity through
protected area management, improved logging policies, sustainable
forest use by local inhabitants, and improved environmental
governance. Following collaboration with USAID, several major
logging companies have committed to improving management practices
through activities such as halting the bush meat trade.
REINTEGRATING FORMER FIGHTERS AND VICTIMS
Conflict, including the widespread use of rape as a means
of subjugation of the population, is a huge problem affecting
millions of Congolese citizens, particularly in the east.
USAID has been implementing a complex emergency disaster response
program in the DRC since the early 1990s. USAID has helped
ex-combatants peacefully return to their communities by employing
them in labor-intensive road reconstruction and other community
infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Since 2002, USAID
has helped over 10,000 survivors of sexual violence with counseling
and, in some cases, reconstructive surgery. Mobile clinics
now respond quickly to reports of rape.
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