We’re just six weeks into our programme in Rutshuru, North Kivu. Sarah Terlouw is the Operations Co-ordinator. We spoke with her on Tuesday November 20th.
What’s the current medical situation in North Kivu?
The need here is huge. Merlin is one of only two international medical NGOs operating in the area. The other agency is working with the local hospital in Rutshuru town. Until we arrived, very little was being done in primary care: five health centres, two health posts and one referral health centre had no support whatsoever. In Rutshuru health zone for example there are only 3 doctors for over 146,000 people.
Conditions and facilities are very basic. Now add a roaming population of tens of thousands of displaced people and you begin to get an idea of just how bad the situation is. It’s one of the worst I’ve seen.
What’s Merlin doing?
We’re supporting eight Ministry of Health facilities, supplying drugs, staff incentives, supervision and training. Displaced people don’t pay for health care but in three of the facilities, health care is free for everyone: our assessments showed that the burden placed on local communities was just too great.
We’re also running a Merlin mobile clinic. And we support the Emergency Co-ordination clinic too, which is run by the Provincial Ministry of Health and serves all of North Kivu.
Finally we’re building two temporary health posts which will be staffed and run by Merlin. These will be in two camps in the area but first, we need to work out which camps have the greatest need.
How does North Kivu compare to other places you’ve worked?
I’ve never experienced such large numbers of displaced people moving from place to place to stay safe. Or such instability. You literally never know what’s coming: you can be in a village one day and everything seems ok. Women are fetching water and firewood, children are going to school. The next day you’ll hear 30,000 more people have descended and there’s utter chaos as fighting goes on all around.
Do you fear for your own safety?
Aid agencies have been targeted. Two had their vehicles stolen and the passengers were robbed. There’s very little acceptance of MONUC (the UN peace keeping force) in Congo in general, but even less in North Kivu. Recently discontented villagers stoned MONUC soldiers and one man was so badly injured he had to be flown to South Africa. So of course, we’re concerned.
Why are international agencies being targeted?
Some believe the international community isn’t doing enough. They feel that there should be more organisations here to help ease the level of violence and deprivation people are being forced to live. People want more support. They just want to get on with there lives.
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