Insecurity continues to ravage the northern areas of the Central African Republic where fighting and village attacks by bandits, rebels and military are still ongoing and has led to the internal displacement of about 220,000 people. About 73,000 people have sought refuge in Chad and Cameroon. There are also more than 2,600 refugees from neighboring western Sudan (Darfur) in the country.

In order to assess the number of people in need of alimentary support and to locate them, the World Food Programme has carried out an evaluation mission. Continue Reading »

HDPT’s Info Bulletin no 40 (November 26 - December 3) is out - with detailed information on current humanitarian and development activities in the Central African Republic. It contains a current overview on the most important developments and news from within and about CAR.
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Gender inequalities in the Central African Republic persist. They are so deeply ingrained that significant positive change will probably take decades. Some facts from a government briefing paper on gender issues in CAR below. (It is well worth looking at other sources as well.):

• The share of illiterate women (68 percent) is substantially higher than that of men (46 percent)
• Net school enrolment is about 37 percent for girls against 44 percent for boys, these are some of the lowest rates in Africa
• More than 14 percent of women in urban areas have been subjected to sexual violence
• Women in urban areas are more than twice as likely to suffer from HIV/AIDS than men (infection rate 11 percent against 5 percent)
• CAR’s maternal mortality rate is among the world’s highest (1,355 per 100,000)
• Only 11 out of 105 members of parliament are women
• Only 10 percent of all judges are women
• Women remain argely uninvolved in the management and control of financial resources

Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team member UNFPA was recently reinforced by a Gender Advisor, supported by the GenCap initiative, to ensure a gender sensitive and equal approach in all humanitarian operations in the Central African Republic.

For photos of vulnerable women in CAR and to read the brief on gender, go to the next page. Continue Reading »

During a mission to Vakaga in the north-east of the Central African Republic, photographer Pierre Holtz visited one of the few health posts in the area.

Over the last decades, the general health situation has worsened dramatically. In 1988 for example, 683 out 100,000 women died from complications during or after childbirth. By 2003, the number had risen to 1,355, one of the highest in the world. For more information on the general health situation in the Central African Republic read this 2-page info note.