Following the eruption of the volcano, Mount Nyiragongo near Goma, tens of thousands of women and girls are in urgent need of criticalsexual and reproductive healthservices, including support to pregnant women, newborn babies and survivors of sexual andgender-based violence(GBV).More than 400,000 people, including 88,000 women of childbearing age and 12,200 pregnant women, fled Goma, a city with a population of around two million,to seek refuge in Sake and Rushuru territories, according to the North Kivu province government. Others were displacedto Bukavu in South Kivu province.Morethan 25,000 peoplecrossed into Rwanda,where a temporary camp was set up atRugereroin the district of Rubavu.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) estimated that 31 people died as an indirect result of the eruption and a further 40 werereported missing. For years, the people of Goma and surrounding villages have lived under the threat of volcanic activity from Mount Nyamuragira and Mount Nyiragongo, ranked among the worlds most dangerousvolcanoes.Seventeen villages in the territory of Nyiragongo were affected by the lava flow, which destroyed homes and infrastructure. Also destroyed were three health facilities, causing health system disruptions and affecting access to critical sexual and reproductive health services, including criticalmaternal healthservices.Complex situationMany of the humanitarian actors and civil servants have relocated from the red zonesMajengo, Mabanga Nord and Sud, Virunga, Bujovu, Murara, Kahembe, Mikeno, Volcano and Mapendoreducing the response capacity on the ground.The displaced population in Sake is at risk of armed groups, as the Masisi territory is known for frequent clashes between the Forces Armes de la Rpublique Dmocratique du Congo (FARDC) and militia groups, and it also has North Kivus third highest number of GBV cases. In times of crisis, women and girls vulnerabilities are heightened, leaving them at greater risk of sexual and gender-based violence.North Kivu province, of which Goma is the capital, recorded 14,681 cases of GBV in2020.UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is working with the local authorities and partners, including the Ministry of Health, to address the sexual and reproductive health of the affected population.Following a rapid assessment of the situation in Sake and Goma, in which premature deliveries and maternal deaths were noted, UNFPA handed over reproductive health supplies to government officials atKyeshero Hospital for the benefit of those affected in Nyiragongo Health Zone, particularly Kibati, Kanyarucinya and Turunga,including a reception centre for displaced people.Items provided includeindividualdeliverykits for women giving birth and for the midwives attending to them,sexually transmitted infection treatment kits,and dignity kits with essential items for women and girls.The donated items will cover the reproductive health needs of 150,000 people for three months at a cost of US$60,000.In preparation for an increase in GBV cases due to the population movements, UNFPA is strengthening the capacities of health centres and providing other basic services to facilitate multi-sectorial management of an anticipated 1,760 GBV survivors.UNFPAs proposed emergency intervention package includes support for assisted delivery, including Caesarean sections, for around 800 pregnant women by qualified personnel; providing 5,000 delivery kits for women giving birth; supporting the medical treatment of 5,300 cases of sexually transmitted infections; providing holistic care for1,760victims of GBV at targeted structures; supporting the One-Stop Centre at Kyeshero Hospital; supportingfamily planningservices for 12,200 new users of a modern family planning method; training 180 maternity providers in the prevention and control of infections in obstetrics; provide 100 vulnerable women with financial support of US$200 each for socio-economic reintegration; distributing 5,000 dignity kits to vulnerable women and girls; and providing targeted health facilities with emergency reproductive health kits.Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).Media filesDownload logo
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