ICRC provides aid to 7,600 families in North Kivu

From 29 September to 4 October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed 137 mt of vegetable seed, beans, maize and other relief items (blankets, pots, hoes) to 7,600 families living in the town of Kibabi in North Kivu Province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the organisation reported on Thursday.

Kibabi, with 9,000 households, received an influx of about 12,000 displaced families, making it one of the most severely affected towns.

ICRC recalled that after fighting broke out in October 2002, between 16,000 and 18,000 families had fled their villages in the Katoyi and Osso regions and taken refuge in outlying areas.

"Despite the hardship this caused, residents welcomed the newcomers and shared the little they had," ICRC said.

Five trucks made 25 round-trip journeys between Kibabi and Goma, where the ICRC is based, to deliver the supplies.

In order to relieve the burden on host families, ICRC had already distributed supplies to some 6,000 displaced families in April. The most recent distribution was intended to help residents by enabling them to increase agricultural production. ICRC said that priority was given to families that worked the land, single-parent families and host families.