Democratic Republic of the Congo

People in need: 15.8 million people in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.

Programme activities include:

Physical rehabilitation: medical referral services for fistula repair, and reconstructive surgery; screening for physical injuries, provide treatment, care and support; provide access to basic health services.

Psychological rehabilitation: includes both individual and group-based trauma counselling; music, dance and drama groups to promote social cohesion and healing; community sensitisation workshops and dialogues; radio broadcasts on victims’ rights, and information sessions.

Material support: livelihood activities, education grants, vocational training, or offer access to income generation and training opportunities to focus on longer-term economic empowerment such as savings and loans groups.

The Trust Fund has implemented assistance mandate programme in the DRC since 2008, providing medical referral, individual and group counselling, and socio-economic activities to victims in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. The last five projects in the country were completed in May 2017. To continue the assistance programme in the country, the TFV has launched a competitive bidding process in 2016 to select new projects and new implementing partners. Currently, the Trust Fund is in the final selection process and aiming to launch the new programme by the end 2017. The selected implementing partners will receive a five -year contract which will provide a consistent support to victims in the regions. This requires the Trust Fund to ensure funds are available for these projects from 2017 until 2020.

Uganda

People in need: 7 million people in northern Uganda.

Programme activities include:

Physical rehabilitation: reconstructive surgery, general surgery, bullet and bomb fragment removal, prosthetic and orthopaedic devices; screening, medical referral and support for victims who have suffered from gynaecological/reproductive complications.

Psychological rehabilitation: includes both individual and group-based trauma counselling; community sensitisation workshops; direct mental health services; health clinical mentoring to counsellors; radio programme, and awareness raising campaign.

Currently, the Trust Fund has 9 active projects in 18 districts of northern Uganda. Two of the projects will be completed by November 2017, and the rest by April 2018. The Trust Fund will launch another competitive bidding process towards the end of 2017 to start a new programme in the country and select new implementing partners. Like in the DRC, the Trust Fund aims to have a five-year contract with the new implementing partners in order to provide consistent support to victims.

Côte d’Ivoire

People in need: 23.7 million people in the whole country.

Programme activities: medical rehabilitation, psychological rehabilitation, and socio-economic support.

In January and February 2017, the TFV conducted a preliminary assessment to explore the possibility of starting an assistance programme in Côte d’Ivoire. During the field visit, the assessment team visited the capital, Abidjan, and 11 localities in the centre, the west and the southern parts of the country. The assessment aims to understand the situation of the victims of crimes under the ICC’s jurisdiction, with a view to establish the relevance and feasibility of interventions to assist victims and their families who have suffered physical, psychological and/or material harm as result of these crimes.

The assessment collected information about the pattern and different types of victimisation, the categories of harm suffered by victims and communities, the victims’ expectations for rehabilitation and reparation, as well as reparative initiatives by the government, civil society and the international community, including any gaps in these initiatives. The assessment also identified potential risks and opportunities of a TFV assistance programme in Côte d’Ivoire.

Currently, the Trust Fund is preparing to launch the competitive international bidding process to start an assistance programme in the country. The Trust Fund hopes to have ongoing assistance projects in Côte d’Ivoire in 2018 and currently has obligated €800,000 for this purpose. The Trust Fund aims to increase this reserve to € 3.6 million through 2020, and foresees a similar project funding allocation amount as in the DRC and Uganda of roughly €1.2 million per year.

Other situation countries

The Trust Fund anticipates the need to expand its assistance mandate programmes to other situation countries in the coming years, when security permits. For this purpose, the Trust Fund needs to maintain a reserve of €3.8 million in order to conduct country assessments and launch new programmes.