Thursday, Day 31
IDP Camps
So.....we went to the IDP camps yesterday and really had a tough time. They are literally at bare bones with nothing- Only a couple NGO's are currently working there like MSF (medicines sin frontier) OCHA and UNHCR. The reality is, these camps are flooding with IDP's (Internally Displaced People) and the population is increasing daily. Furthermore, access to them is difficult as the roads are not good and a few are only accessible by boat.
That being said, Jon Marisa and I, after multiple interviews and the long trek to the camps- we were really feeling exhausted. One after another hearing the stories of why they are there, trying to find the root cause was like trying to get a brick to talk to us. As unfortunate as it sounds, we really believe there is a history of fleeing, returning, seeking refuge etc. It's just part of the past in countries such as the DRC. Thus, even when we try to get to the root of the problem, the response is always "we had to flee from the violence, the pillaging, rape of the rebel groups". BUT, no one knows why the rebels are doing this...ok, we have an idea but everyone has a different story of which are all the same in the end...violence, pillaging and rape. That being said, in search of a story with the interviews, footage and work we have and continue to do in the field we came to the conclusion that we are going to document our search for the root cause of the instability here in Katanga.
Today we are scheduled to visit yet another camp with the UNHCR and tomorrow to a camp which has yet been accessed by any NGO- not even the UNHCR. We hope to find a positive way to tell the stories of these displaced people...
No comments:
Post a Comment