It takes no less than six days of arduous travel to cover the 1,000km of dusty roads between the city of Bangui and the village of Obo in the far east of the Central African Republic. In a country where the state has little control beyond the capital city, the population of Obo cannot rely on the central government for the provision of basic healthcare, education or transportation infrastructure.

However, with the help of United Youth for Environmental Protection and Community Development (JUPEDEC), a local NGO, villagers have managed to build health centres, classrooms and bridges, and have established income-generating activities. Relying largely on natural resources and local work forces, JUPEDEC is contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of thousands of people. Continue Reading »

According to COOPI, the two humanitarian health workers, who had been taken hostage last week in the north-west of the Central African Republic, are free again. They’re back “safe and sound”. It was the first time that humanitarian aid workers had been abducted. The security situation in parts of the north-west remains fragile. No ransom was paid. All humanitarian and development agencies in the country are glad about this outcome. Click here for the story on Reliefweb.

BANGUI, 21 May 2007 — The United Nations in the Central African Republic have firmly condemned the capture of two people, one working for a project run by the Italian non-governmental organization Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) in the north-west of the country.

The two health workers were taken on Saturday 19 May between Bocaranga and Bozoum as they were working on a project to improve access to health facilities for the local population, since health is one of the priorities of COOPI in CAR.

The UN and COOPI reiterate their neutrality and impartiality in engaging in humanitarian activities around the world, particularly in CAR. In response to the incident, the two organizations are urging the captors to free the hostages. Continue Reading »