Bunia –17 September 2015: MONUSCO jointly with Gender, Family and Children in Ituri were invited by a local NGO to carry out an evaluation mission on respect for women’s rights, fight against gender-based violence and the local response to HIV/AIDs epidemics in Kunda, administrative town of Babele Be.

After being welcomed by the representatives of the local authorities in Kunda, the Gender Office in Ituri and the sections women’s and child Protection, HIV/AIDs and UNPOL of MONUSCO took concerns from a group representing the women from Kunda on the gender-based violence.

The discussion helped identify the urgent need to carry out a sensitization campaign for women and men in Kunda on the rights of women to reproductive and sexual health as well as to HIV/AIDs prevention. It was also highlighted that the campaign was conducted on a market activity day, say Wednesday and Saturday to get the message across to a larger number of the population of Kunda.

MONUSCO’s operational unit also visited Kunda health center. The evaluation revealed the urgent need for providing training on HIV/AIDs and other sexually communicable diseases to the seven nurses and twenty community agents working in the center for a better care of the patients.
 

Following this successful evaluation mission, MONUSCO and the Gender, Family and Children Office in Ituri are working on a new sensitization, prevention and capacity-building campaign to adapt to the needs and concerns of the population of Kunda.

Anne HERRMANN