* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
I can still remember standing in the middle of Bulengo, an internally displaced camp in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) two years ago. I was surrounded by a small group of children. Despite living in squalid makeshift shelters and little to eat, these children were still looking at me with hopes and dreams. Back then, NGOs on the ground were already struggling to make ends meet for these families.
Two weeks ago, I was in DRC and unexpectedly found myself in the same camp. Another group of small children came out and walked around with me. It was nostalgic being there again especially because the camp was still there; the conditions were still bad, and NGOs were still struggling. It dawned on me that the situation remained unchanged for those children I met two years ago.
My frustrations and anger quickly turned into despair. I still can’t believe that the children I met then and the ones I met a few weeks back are still alive. That’s no way for any child to grow up!
DRC has been beset with violence for the past twenty years. Currently, the country has 1.8 million people internally displaced and around 4.8 million people in need of food aid and agricultural support. Yet because of the protracted nature of the crisis and the fact that there seems to be no solution in sight, DRC continues to live in the shadow of other more prominent crises such as Syria or South Sudan. Although humanitarian assistance has helped over the years, the needs remain as high as ever.
Speaking to families on the ground, it was clear that there was a sense of fatigue, cynicism, and pessimism about the future. It’s always difficult when I’m asked ‘has anything worked’; ‘do we give up?’; ‘do we focus elsewhere where we can make more of a difference?’; ‘is there more we could be doing?’. One classic answer is more funding, but that’s not a solution because the number of protracted crises worldwide means such funding is limited. So what is the solution?
As the World Humanitarian Summit continues in Istanbul today, humanitarian financing and the way which crises are funded will be a key issue. Stakeholders will continue to discuss how limited funding can best be used to manage protracted crises, provide support for families with dignity and create sustainable models that strengthen, rather than weaken, national economies. They will continue to discuss what the new financing system should look like. In countries like the DRC which are often forgotten, there need to be other options such as reforming current funding system or exploring alternative ways such as pushing for more private partnerships.
The people I met in the camps in Bulengo had one desire and that was to return home. However, they were also realistic and knew it wasn’t yet safe enough to do so. In the meantime, they tried to establish homes and gets jobs in order to earn income so they could send their children to school, buy them decent meals and afford healthcare. They don’t want to remain in the camps forever. They want a life. After all, these affected families didn’t want to be dependent on NGOs for their day-to-day survival.
The international community wishes to affect change but often falls into the trap of short-term emergency programming year-after-year. What this means is that rather than helping people to get back on their feet, these short-term programmes often focus on basic necessities and keeping families alive. Consequently, as those affected aren’t given jobs and don’t contribute to the economy, they end up being in a vicious cycle of unemployment, debt and dependence on aid.
As humanitarian actors, we need to carefully consider our programming approaches and ensure that in contexts such as DRC, there is a tailored mix of both humanitarian and more development activities. Funding needs to be long term and flexible, allowing NGOs to innovate where needed and also to remain present in times of conflict. This will enable NGOs to continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people.
I can only hope that in two years’ time if I go back to DRC and visit Bulengo again, the situation will be drastically different.
