The five-year war in the Democratic Republic of Congo officially ended in 2003, but renewed fighting has been a constant problem ever since.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, with many fleeing to Goma to seek refuge in camps. In May 2009 around 1.8 million were displaced in North Kivu alone.

HelpAge International has been working in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2008, helping older people affected by the conflict in North Kivu.

Read more on the background to the conflict.

How are older people affected?

HelpAge knows from experience that older people face particular challenges in conflict and emergency situations.

Less mobile older people may be left behind when families and communities flee, placing them at risk of further violence.

Those who do make it to the camps are not usually considered a vulnerable group by humanitarian agencies and are frequently excluded from relief efforts.

Older people who are frail and not registered by humanitarian agencies may also find it difficult to get access to aid.

Emergency health, food and nutrition programmes are rarely adjusted to meet their needs.

In May 2009, we asked over 1,000 older people in 7 camps around Goma and two villages where people had returned how they had been affected by the conflict. The findings were shocking:

• 53% had had their homes and property stolen
• 16% had been physically abused
• 18% had faced discrimination
• 6% had been sexually abused

An estimated 65% of older people have to care for children, orphans and other dependants.

What are we doing to help?

HelpAge is working with partners APIBA (Association d’Appui aux Initiatives de Base) and GEAD (Groupe d’Etudes et d’Actions pour un Developpement bien defini). 

Together, we have directly supported some 12, 400 households and indirectly helped 30,300 from December 2008 to the end of August 2009. 

Activities included:

• Providing age-friendly spaces for older people to get involved in social activities, such as traditional dances.
• Running mat and basket making workshops to help older people stay active and contribute to the community.

We are also working with Merlin and the Ministry of Health in North Kivu to ensure older people are included in health service provision.

200 health workers have been trained to treat older people’s specific health issues. We are also providing transport for older people to get to the health centres.

Through this work we will ensure up to 28,000 older people who attend the 6 health centres run by Merlin and the government can get the treatment they need.

We are also identifying and assisting older people separated from their families and working with child-focused agencies to help support older people caring for children.

Key successes

So far, HelpAge and our partners have:

• Improved health treatment for older people affected by the conflict. The number of older people getting medical attention has almost doubled from 647 in February 2009 to 1134 in August 2009.

• Improved the wellbeing of almost 4,000 older people, by giving them essential items such as sandals, quilts and mats.

• Helped older people feel less lonely by setting up three comfortable meeting areas so they can get together, share experiences and support each other.

• Helped protect older people from further danger by helping them to find suitable fuel by recycling camp waste, so they don’t have to go outside to look for firewood and risk being attacked.

What next?

HelpAge will carry on working with partners to build on these achievements until the end of February 2010.

We will continue to raise awareness of older people’s specific needs and issues among other NGOs and organisations working in North Kivu.

HelpAge's work in DRC is funded by our sister organisation Help the Aged through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).