Dundo - The Acting Head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Stephany Contreras, this Friday highlighted the support of the Angolan State in the process of social and economic reintegration of the refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), settled in Lóvua, Lunda Norte Province, since 2017.
The official highlighted the support of the Angolan State during a press conference regarding the process of voluntary repatriation and organisation of refugees from the DRC, which resumed this year.
She said that UNHCR has been working with the National Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (INEFOP), Ministry of Social Action, Family and Women Promotion´s (MASFAMU), Offices Education, Health, Justice and Human Rights, in the process of social and economic reintegration of the refugees.
She said that a group of refugees regularly benefits from training in agricultural production techniques and other specialties, as part of the economic empowerment promotion for that group of people.
With the Education Office of and MASFAMU, the actions are focused on the emancipation of women, early pregnancy prevention, gender violence, insertion in the normal free education system and literacy.
The UNHCR stressed that all children born in Angola, besides access to education also benefit from free birth registration, in a joint effort with the provincial delegation of Justice and Human Rights.
“Our aim is that they are integrated in a strategy of economic empowerment, so that they can see support for their entrepreneurship initiatives, access to a bank account and develop their economic initiatives, no longer depending only on humanitarian assistance”, she said.
In relation to health, the official said that UNHCR and the Evangelical Church of the Brethren in Angola (IEIA) are developing a programme of medical assistance to the refugees.
She said that at the beginning of the current month, a medical survey was carried out in the camp, where over 100 refugees were selected, in a first phase, to benefit from complex surgical interventions.
Out of the 100 selected, 50 refugees, with myoma, hernia, goiter and lipoma, have so far undergone medical examinations, 23 of whom have already benefited from surgical interventions.
Stephany Contreras said that the surgeries are being carried out at the David Bernardino Kamanga Hospital, in the urban district of Mussungue, in the satellite city of Chitato Municipality.
The free of charge surgeries with UNHCR financial support, will continue as long as patients with this need are diagnosed.
In May 2017 an initial group of 35,000 DRC citizens arrived in Lunda Norte Province, fleeing acts of violence in the Kassai area, a crisis that led to the declaration of an emergency situation.
There are currently 6,300 refugees from DRC in the settlement of Lóvua Municipality.
