This year again Vopak has chosen to support
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders/ Artsen zonder
Grenzen). Given the fact that Vopak works with liquids, they have
decided again to support a water project, this time in Katanga,
Democratic Republic of Congo. Here Médecins Sans Frontières is
finishing three-year project with which the access to safe drinking
water for the local population is significantly increased. Vopak is
contributing to this project.
Médecins Sans Frontières in DRC
MSF has been active in DRC since 1987. We
mainly work in the east of this huge country (approximately the
size of Western Europe). Although a country-wide peace agreement
was signed in 2002, the situation in the east collapsed again and
the conflict continues in Eastern DRC. This resulted in ongoing
violence against the civilian population. Millions have died as a
direct or indirect consequence of the war, 400,000 Congolese fled
abroad, and millions fled within the country. Years of conflict
resulted in a collapse of the infrastructure, including the
provision of medical care.
Project in
Katanga
Although the conflict in Katanga ended in
2006, the medical situation remains precarious. MSF runs two busy
hospitals, supports more than 10 health centres focusing on
malaria, and maintains a permanent emergency response team.
Maternal healthcare has been one of MSF’s activities here. We
provide emergency obstetrics in two hospitals and offer basic and
maternal health care in 13 health centres. Once a year, MSF
operates on women with fistula, a condition due to heavy
complications during childbirth. Many people are heavily affected
by the war and MSF is addressing this with mental health care in
Shamwana and Dubie.
Activities for water and sanitation:
In 2006 we expanded our activities in Katanga.
We already had a project in Dubie and early 2006 we did an
explorative mission in and around Shamwana, north of Dubie. One of
the needs assessed was water and sanitation, as the population did
not have enough access to safe water, and the health indicators
showed a high prevalence of waterborne diseases. In addition, good
water supply also limits the impact of the seasonal cholera
outbreaks that are a continual health risk in the region.
Initially we planned two drilling seasons;
2007 and 2008. As of December 2008, 48 successful boreholes have
been drilled serving a population of approximately 50,000 people in
13 locations. Water committees have been mobilised to maintain
& repair the installed hand pumps and to promote good hygiene
practices.
Following the project evaluation, MSF decided
to extend the programme for one last season to cover the remaining
needs of the population in the health centres catchment area. The
2009/2010 programme aims to complete a further 13 boreholes for
18,384 people in 8 villages, with all the associated community
activities fully implemented and evaluated.
We have drilled the boreholes, and now we will
finalize the water supply by installing the hand pumps, training
how to use them, and community sensitisation to promote good
hygiene practices. We expect to finish the project early 2010.
December 2009
Vopak, thank you so much for your support!
More information
Vopak:
Guy Keymolen, Commercial Manager Vopak
Belgium: guy.keymolen@vopak.com or
+31-78-652 83 17.
Médecins Sans Frontières:
Gerbren Deves, manager corporate relations:
gerbren.deves@amsterdam.msf.org
or
+31-20-520 87 69.