Helping internally displaced people, near Goma, eastern DRC – photos

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Tens of thousands of people in eastern Congo are living in sites just outside Goma. The two sites pictured below – Mugunga 1, to the West of Goma, and Kanyaruchinya (or Kibati), to the North – both host internally displaced people who have recently fled violence in their home communities:

Out of fear of the take-over of their area by M23 rebels in Rutshuru, an estimated 55,000 people fled to Kanyaruchinya at the foot of the Nyaragongo Volcano.
The majority of the people in Mugunga 1, some 20,000 people, have fled clashes between FDLR and Raia Mutomboki rebels in southern Masisi, where their villages are targeted by one of these armed groups. Many people in this site say they have witnessed shocking scenes of violence with people being burned in their homes and decapitated.

Life at these sites is grim. Oxfam and our partners are doing all we can to provide basic humanitarian assistance including trucking in clean fresh drinking water, building latrines and showers and helping people buy food.

Photos: Steven Van Damme, September 2012

Every day Oxfam trucks water to the Kanyaruchinya site. Here, an Oxfam truck is refilling the water reservoir so people can continue to collect safe water.
A six-year-old boy washing off his jerry-can at a tapstand, at Kanyaruchinya camp, before filling it with safe water. Oxfam distributes soap as part of our public health work so jerrycans can be cleaned before they are filled with water.
The rainy season is now well underway and pools of stagnant water collect between the tents.
Oxfam showers have been built at Kanyaruchinya camp.
There are currently 20,000 people living at Mugunga 1, with new arrivals turning up each day.
The hard volcanic ground is unforgiving for those who must sleep on it at Mugunga.
Oxfam has built latrines at the Kanyaruchinya camp.
Water points and latrines are run by a committee of members of the site, who are responsible for the smooth operation of these installations. This man's role is to keep the latrines clean and functional.