WER's Background on the Great Lakes Region, Africa

Take me to the photos.

THE SITUATION
Civil war swept Africa's “Lakes Region” in 1993-94, ignited by strife between rival Hutu and Tutsi tribes in Burundi and Rwanda. Over 1.2 million were forced from their homes, and over 50 percent of available males were either killed or permanently displaced from their families. Over 600,000 died in a genocide ignored by world powers.

The President Mobutu's defeat in the former Zaire marked a historic moment for Africa. Mobutu's demise removed a critical obstacle to regional cooperation. A new axis is emerging across the continent, linking leaders who seek to break the corrupt ties of the past. This inspires new hope for an end to conflicts in the Great Lakes and provides a chance for like-minded leaders to collaborate in addressing the region's underlying problems.

However, conflict and human rights abuses continue through the Great Lakes. The need for humanitarian aid persists. Warring parties throughout the region regularly violates international humanitarian law and the protection it offers to civilians. In the Democratic Republic of Congo hundreds of thousands of refugees are still wandering into neighboring countries or are displaced in their homeland. In Burundi, 1 of every 9 people has been displaced in the past eight years. Violent conflict persists alongside new opportunities for development. The region is half at peace and half at war.

WER's INVOLVEMENT
WER worked in the region from early 1994 to 1996, supporting an orphanage housing over 300 children about 80 miles from Bujumbura. WER terminated support in 1996 because of local accountability problems.

At the same time, we linked with a local charity to support their baby centre for abandoned/orphaned refugee babies. The centre, while actively reuniting families and promoting foster care for other orphans, houses 35 to 50 children at any one time. WER and the Bujumbura Baby Centre are also working to assume operational control of an abandoned government orphanage in another sector of Bujumbura.

THE PROGRAM
Our focus is on young children in Burundi, as well as the refugee camps in nearby Congo. Our Centers give food, clothing, medical care, shelter, education, emotional and spiritual support to child refugees disconnected from their families by death or forced relocation. The program costs approximately $5,400/month to operate.

This outreach has been successful enough that the Government of Burundi has asked our resident staff to assume management of yet another orphanage in Bujumbura, by updating it and caring for at least 100 additional children. Projected additional costs are $46,000 for capital improvements, and $6,500/month for operations.

We are now also committed to an additional project of sustained relief to the Botwa Pygmy Tribe, to be coupled with micro-economic loans for these new “heads of household” and potential adoption and foster placement of children from our Baby Centre.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, World Emergency Relief has partnered with another charity in providing emergency humanitarian aid to thousands of refugees in Uvira, the capital of the new republic. Since mid-1998, WER has provided the financing for the programs offices and has been contributing cash to buy food and other emergency supplies.

(Please see the map below)