On the 17 January 2014, the USAID Regional Rep, Nancy Lindberg, Assistant Administrator visited the joint UNHCR-WFP distribution of NFI and food within M’Poko Airport in Bangui. The distribution at the site is an inter-agency effort involving UNHCR, WFP and its implementing partner COOPI. UNHCR acts as the lead of the CCCM cluster and is the designated coordinator of multi-sector assistance at the Airport IDP Site.

During the visit, USAID saw up close the challenges faced by the humanitarian community on distributing to a spontaneous site hosting over 100,000 IDPs as well as the solutions put in place to overcome these. One example is the new system of ration cards that has reduced fraud, increased the numbers of families served and shortened the waiting time of beneficiaries at the distribution site. UNHCR emphasized with USAID the need for greater partnerships in order to speed up the delivery of assistance to the large numbers of displaced in the capital Bangui and in the country.

A number of displaced women shared their personal stories with USAID. Mireille*, 27, who had fled the 5th Arrondissement of Bangui, explained that she fled at dawn on the 6th December after fighting between opposing armed groups ocurred in her neighborhood. Mireille explained that she visited her home twice in the last month and half that she has been living in the M’Poko Airport Site. USAID also spoke to two young siblings, Awa* and André*, who fled their homes just a day before armed groups broke down their door and took everything their family of eight possessed. The displaced expressed gratitude to the safe haven they found at the airport site and that they still felt uneasy about returning to their homes.

*Names changed to ensure confidentiality and for protection reason.