BULENGO BRIEFING, DAY 5
This morning we are here, in Bulengo. The camp is very agitated as in the past days, some of the displaced people have understood the workings of the camp, others are new and do not know what attitude to adopt in the face of the famine, the lack of latrines, the bad weather and the overpowering sun without shelter.
It is 7:00 am when we arrive in the camp, several pregnant women are sitting on either side of a World Health Organization tent. Several other women are sitting with their children next to the tent of the first emergency organization with their children receiving treatment for malnutrition. It is not surprising that malnutrition is present in a camp of over 80,000 people and where the numbers are growing daily. No humanitarian organization knows how to satisfy the thirst for a dignified life of our brothers and sisters who have come from places occupied by the M23 or with the tension of the clashes between the M23 rebels and the FARDC. Each organization is just doing its part.
Our mobilizers are deployed in the camp to sensitize once again on the hygiene of the latrines that serve the whole camp. While visiting the blocks, they talk to the displaced about the hygiene of the latrines which, despite frequent cleaning, which is now a practice thanks to the sensitizations made, still have a hygienic state that leaves something to be desired.
But the hygiene committees initiated by our mobilization team continue to prove themselves. They are already mobilizing, creating, imagining techniques to face this threatening unhealthy environment. Two other hygiene committees are created; in block 90 and 128. Three hygiene committees got together and sensitized their constituents; now they are digging pits themselves, so that the person of good faith who would like to build a latrine for them will be facilitated by this local contribution. We are delighted with this dynamic that we want to replicate in other blocks through the hygiene committees that our mobilizers initiate. At the time, 180 people from 5 different blocks were mobilized in small groups on hygiene and the responsible use of toilets. There is no lack of well-placed words on how to prevent diseases from dirty hands.
In the crowd, children are also occupied by another column of mobilizers. They are an important population, idle and too exposed to diseases. Our mobilizers, through children's spaces by blocks (because it is impossible to gather all the children of the camp in only one space for security reasons) sensitize the children by games and songs, on the techniques of washing hands, the living together, the risk related to gas, peace... They were about twenty by block for this day.
In parallel to the work of our community mobilizers, the team of Psycho-social Assistants continued their work of listening in the listening house erected in the center of the Camp. 4 cases were accompanied psychologically. Fear, guilt, insomnia and anxiety are some of the traumatic signs observed in these people.
The sun is at its zenith but our APS do not want to end their working day before making 8 visits to the referenced persons. "Today, we visited 5 women that we referred to appropriate medical authorities since Tuesday, February 22, two of them are now better, the other three are still sick and one of them can not be treated here at the camp, because she has severe dental problems, she must be sent to an appropriate hospital unfortunately she can not afford it, we appeal to all people of good faith to help her. Declares Linda Bisimwa.
After the daily evaluation on site with all our teams, we are preparing to return. But this afternoon we return sadly; Huruma PENDEZI, one of our beneficiaries who was listened to and psychologically taken care of from the very first hours, was not able to cope with his illness. He passed away this morning. See you tomorrow.
