Food distribution at IDP Camp in Nyanzale

In the North Kivu town of Nyanzale I stumbled across a food distribution operation being run by French NGO Premiere Urgence. The food is provided twice a month by the United Nations World Food Program and consists of (third photo) 30kg of corn flour, 9kg of beans, 2.25l of vegetable oil (no balsamic vinegar, surprisingly!) and 375g of salt.

The flour is delivered in a single (heavy) sack that the distributor slices open to prevent its resale. The vegetable oil comes in a 5-liter jug that must be shared between two families, and again to ensure it is not resold, the distributor pokes his thumb through the foil cap before handing it over. The women – some of them quite elderly – must struggle back to their huts with the enormous, unsealed sacks, and of course they must try to find other food than these very basic staples.

I talked with the president (first photo) of the administrative committee of the camp, Bahati Mahombi, who said the camp consists of 28 blocks of 50 families, with families on average comprising 5-6 members. As in other camps, there is no education for the children, and as elsewhere, the camp is frequently attacked by raiders looking to either intimidate or rob.