One of our gender-based violence (GBV) team’s key programming approaches is to organize a women’s and girls’ safe space (WGSS) in communities, enabling women and girls to gather, share their concerns and rebuild support networks while participating in a range of activities, such as dancing, sports, literacy classes, arts and life-skills training. Through the WGSS, …
We Are Continuing to Fight COVID-19 Around the World Around the world, we’re continuing to help people in need as we adapt our healthcare and training programs to the demands of COVID-19. Responding in the United States In the United States, we’ve partnered with hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New …
Political instability has been part of everyday life in the Central African Republic (CAR) for decades. But since conflict broke out in 2013, life has been defined by war. Despite the signing of a peace agreement in February 2019, conflict continues to flare up, often unpredictably and near civilian centers. Today, one in four Central …
The Central African Republic (CAR) often tops lists of the world’s most neglected or forgotten humanitarian crises. One-quarter of its population has been displaced by conflict and more than half desperately need humanitarian support—yet the tragedy remains underreported and aid efforts underfunded. Armed groups control much of the country, outbreaks of violence continue unabated and …
The Central African Republic (CAR)—a landlocked country at the heart of the African continent—remains one of the poorest nations in the world, with only Niger rating lower on the 2018 Human Development Index. Struggling with instability dating back to the 1960s, the current conflict broke out in 2013, leaving an already struggling population in an …
Sometimes, what you don’t know can kill you—like not knowing about proper nutrition and handwashing, safe sex practices and maternal health support. Other times, what you don’t know can severely disempower you—like not knowing where to turn for help after you have been raped. When it comes to gender-based violence (GBV), women and girls are …
International Medical Corps has been providing medical relief in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country haunted by instability and grappling with a weakened health system, since 2007. We are currently providing healthcare and other assistance in three regions: Vakaga, Haute Kotto and Ouaka. In Ndiffa, a village more than 200 kilometres from Birao, the …
In the face of seemingly intractable social challenges, it can be hard to believe in change. But to a frontline health worker like Beatrice Essebe, International Medical Corps’ Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Supervisor in Cameroon, change is not only possible, it is an inevitability and provides a purpose. Says Beatrice: “There is nothing greater than when …
The military-political crisis that broke out in 2012 has severely crippled the healthcare system in the Central African Republic (CAR). This is especially true when it comes to mental health services. Stigmatization and misunderstandings about the causes of mental health issues and the effectiveness of treatment at the community level also impede necessary care. According …