On 25 February 2014, a UNHCR team headed by the Representative visited the UNHCR Field Office of Zémio and the Congolese refugee camp near the city. The mission met with refugee leaders, local authorities and implementing partners including the new school by COOPI, the new health centre by the International Medical Corps and the offices of the Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés, UNHCR’s Government counterpart. During the mission, UNHCR also met with the Mayor of Zémio, who expressed satisfaction with UNHCR’s collaboration and explained that in Zémio, the Congolese refugees and Central Africans, all live at peace with each other.

Zemio Refugee Camp is one of three camps in CAR. Even with the escalation of the crisis in 2013, refugees continued to be provided with food, water, health care and education. The Congolese refugees in Zémio had fled the Lords Resistance Army in 2009. Initially living in three camps, the refugees were all re-located to Zémio on December 2012, where 3,225 are currently living (last registration of early 2013). In Zémio, COOPI, in partnership with UNHCR, supports education and is in the process of completing a new school building. In total, 887 children are attending classes with 126 in pre-school, 646 in primary school, and 115 in secondary school. Challenges, nonetheless, persist in sensitizing parents on the importance of education. COOPI plans to start income generating activities, with particular attention to women. In terms of health care, UNHCR has partnered with the International Medical Corps, which will be offering a range of services to the refugees, such as training on leading causes of morbidity; mass nutrition screening; psychosocial interventions as well as clinical management of gender-based violence. The local population also benefits from the newly built IMC health post.

By Hugo Reichenberger, Reporting Officer, REICHENB@unhcr.org