World Bank approves US $60 m for emergency post-war recovery

The World Bank has approved a grant of US $60 million to help mitigate the Democratic Republic of the Congo's ongoing social and humanitarian crisis.

In a statement, the World Bank reported on 26 August that the funding, called the "emergency social action project," is designed to improve poor people's access to social and economic services and to increase development resources.

The funding would also help create income-generating opportunities for ex-combatants and victims of the country's five-year-long armed conflict from 1998 to 2003.

"Local communities in the project area will be closely involved in the implementation of the project, managing funds, planning and supervising," John Elder, the World Bank's task team leader for the project, said. "This kind of participation helps ensure project sustainability and ownership by the community".

Initially, funding will mostly go towards on building infrastructure by providing money for community-initiated activities such as education and training; health and nutrition; water, micro-irrigation, agricultural storage, market and slaughter-house construction; rural transport, energy, and environmental protection.

A second phase will focus on helping local partners implement and manage small projects. A third phase will focus on education and a fourth phase on coordination and management at national and provincial levels.