UNFPA Humanitarian Response in DRC: Situation Report - July 2023

Ongoing conflicts and repeated natural disasters in eastern DRC have displaced about 5.5 million people in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces. Many are living in crowded sites outside Goma, increasing women and girls' vulnerability to unintended pregnancies, maternal death, and gender-based violence. The health system in the east of the country is overwhelmed due to COVID-19, measles, polio, meningitis, and monkeypox outbreaks, with rising cases of yellow fever, cholera, and malaria due to water and sanitation challenges. A system-wide scale-up was activated for eastern DRC on June 16, 2023, to strengthen the response of humanitarian actors.

Around 220,000 pregnant women struggle to access sexual and reproductive health services, and 55,000 are expected to deliver soon. Sexual violence has surged, particularly affecting displaced women and girls who travel for supplies, making them vulnerable to rape and assault.

UNFPA and its partners are scaling up humanitarian response in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces, aiming to assist 1.3 million people with reproductive health and protection services. We are supporting 31 delivery points across the three provinces. This includes health facilities, centers for holistic management of gender-based violence and safe spaces for women and girls. Mobile clinics and midwives are also deployed to ensure access to maternal health services, with plans to recruit more midwives and distribute family planning resources.