DR Congo – SOS Medical and Social Centres

In the Democratic Republic of Congo there are currently two Social Centres and two Medical Centres for children and the local community, in Bukavu and Uvira.  Many SOS Social Centres operate via Family Strengthening Programmes, which aim to support the wider community.  Below is some information about some of the Social Centres that SOS Children runs in Congo:

SOS Medical Centres around Congo: In-Depth

Bukavu

Description of SOS Medical Centre:

In June 1997 an SOS Medical Centre was built to provide efficient medical care for the people and to implement preventive measures at a local level. The centre has a surgery with beds, three consultation rooms, a diagnostic laboratory, a waiting room and a dispensary. Since it opened, it has provided care for up to 880 patients a month.

Work and Achievements:

The SOS Medical Centre of Bukavu offered service to 3,184 patients in 2009.

They were as follows:
-    239 SOS children and youths including 117 boys and  122 girls
-    851 boys and girls from the community
-    582 adults and 839 women from the community.

External patients included SOS co workers, soldiers, private individuals and their dependants.

Uvira

Description of SOS Medical Centre:

In September 2006, an SOS Medical Centre was opened with the aim to provide medical care and inform people about local preventive measures. The centre has two examination rooms, one treatment room, a reception and administration area, two laboratories and a pharmacy. Up to 1,400 patients can be treated there every month.

Work and Achievements:

The number of SOS Medical Centre of Uvira ‘s beneficiaries was 1,713 in 2009.

This number incorporated:
-    792 SOS children and youths including 355 boys and 331 girls
-    267 boys and 257 girls from the community
-    221 external men and 276 external women.

External patients include SOS co workers and their dependants, soldiers and private individuals.

SOS Social Centres around Congo: In-Depth

January 2004 saw the start of a family strengthening programme for SOS Children's Village Bukavu, and January 2005 for SOS Children's Village Uvira. These two programmes aim to assist families in need and enable them to improve their living situation by supplying specific services (medical and educational assistance for the children, social assistance and employment counselling for the parents). The aim is to reinforce the family unit in order to prevent situations which might lead to the abandonment of children. A system of close cooperation with the local authorities and the local communities has been set up accordingly.

Bukavu

Work and Achievements:

FSP beneficiaries were supported in:

•    Food security: 206 households received trainings on growing vegetables in gardens. Then they received seeds and ploughing tools, namely hoes, for the purpose.
•    Rebuilding huts: 10 households’ huts were collapsing. The FSP   helped them to reshape those huts by offering them iron sheets, nails, sticks, timbers, doors, and windows.
•    Micro lends for revenue creating activities: little amounts of money of 50  to 300 us dollars were  allotted to the 4th group made of 42 households. The number of households that received micro lends is 167. The average rate of paying back is of 80 %.
•    School fees, uniforms and classroom kits were given to 284 pupils including 139 girls and 145 boys. By the end of the 2008-2009 school year, the success rate was 85.5 %.
•    Medical care was granted to all the orphan and vulnerable children and their tutors through our affiliation to the ‘ Mutuelle de santé’.
•    A monthly food supply was granted to some households
•    Clothes were distributed to FSP beneficiaries for Christmas and new year parties.

Uvira

Work and Achievements:

The main events during the year have been:

-    The admission of 100 new children, raising the total to 400 beneficiaries in 2009.
-    3 orphans and vulnerable children  got their state degrees
-    Good results from the micro-lending initiative. 
-    Donation by UNFAO/ Uvira of farming seeds and tools to SOS FSP beneficiaries. The donation consisted of 130 kilograms of beans, 140 kgs of groundnuts, 150 kgs of rice, 100 kgs of maize, 2 kgs of amaranths seed, 1kg of onion, 2 kgs of tomatoes, 52 hoes, 20 watering can, 10 three pitch forks and 10 rakes.