Butembo Shelter Annual Report 2023 - 2024 8ut8mbo Shelter is a register8d charity England and Wales (Charity Numb8r 1199358).This report looks at what th8 charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work In the reporting period (April 2023 - March 2024). Background The armed conflict and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has affected thousands of families and created a deteriorating humanltarian situation. Brutsl clashes between groups have had very serious consequences for people: many have been killed. unded, or traumatized. villages have been bumed and
fields destroyed and there has been massive population displacement. The situation in north east reglon of the DRC remains volatile. Far from thelr villages and traditional means of subsistence, thousands of families are facing an increasingly critical food shortage. Butemb) Shelter is one of the many charities seeking to help these families rebulld their lives. Our objectives Our main objective is to relieve poverty through provision of immediate and long term grants to young people. families and communities living through conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our work covers the north eastern part of the DRC, a region where amied conflict has raged for several years. Children are the main victims of violence, at risk of injury or death in combat. as many children have been recruited into anned groups as porters. combatants, or sex slaves. Children recently released from anned groups have expressed fear of retuming home, saying they wlll not be accepted back into their families and communities. In addition to food. shelter. and psychosocial support. children need opportunities for play and leaming. Butembo Shelter also provides support to Congolese refugees that have fled the war and now live in the Untted Kingdom and our activities are currenuy in the East of England. Our activities Through ¢)ur volunteers in the Butembo area in North Eastem DRC we have been able to provide some grants to victims of war the county. These are predominantly women and children that have been displaced by the raging conflict in the North eastem region of the DRC. The majority of these kinds have become orphaned and have no on8 to look after them. The grants we sent have been able to provide just basic food and medical supplles. In the last year April 2023 - March 2024, over 400 children have come to us seeking help. It has been difficult to meet all the needs of these victims. Challenges The last year has been real difficult for the victims of war in the DRC. Fighting has intensified in recent months between DRC govemment forces and the M23 armed
group - the most prominent of more than 100 amied groups reported to be active in the strategically important and resource-rich region. which has been at the epintre of multiple conflicts since the 19908. Civilians are bearing the brunt, with some 7 million displaced from their homes, many of them multiple times ~ 2.5 million of them in North Kivu alone. The complexity of humanitarian challenges is in stark evidence at the ICRC-supported Ndosho hospital in Goma. North Kivu's provincial capital. With a daily influx of wounded civilians - many of them children the hospital is at more than double its nomial capacity with more than 130 beds. many of them in tents. Financial Review The charity is still in its infancy and we are still battling to raise funds to help the most vulnerable people in the SRC. Most of our donations come from well-wishers and individuals based in the United Kingdom. Oul of that amount we were able to send a total of £1630 in the Financial Year ending April 2024. This money was used to buy food and basic medlcal supplies, as well as purchasing clothes and blankets for orphans and viidows in the Butembo region. We h8ve also sent a few applications for funding from organizations based in the United Kingdom and we ar8 hopeful we can be able to rais8 more money in the next financial year. We also plan to organise some fund-raising activib'es. A summary of our income 8nd expenditure is outlined below in Figure 1. Income Expenditure Web subscription £546 suran¢e Total income = £2,430 Total Expenditure = £2,346 Flgure 1: Summary of inc£)me and expenditure
Our future plans We are committed to raising more funds in this next financial year and our plan is to help 500 displaced children in the DRC. We will be seeking continue working with other local partners especially educational institutions to make sure these children acquire the skills they need to be self-sustainable. In the United Kingdom we will work more with Congolese refugees to help them access local support for basi needs such as housing, education and health. We also plan to work with the local authorities in the Norfolk region to ensure we create lasting partnerships. Again, we are really grateful to everyone who has landed a helping hand in this past year. On behalf of the trustees Georges Muhiwa (Chainnan) Dated 4 September 2024