Rapid Relief For Refugees in the Republic of the Congo
In the small, riverside village of Ngabé, in southeastern Republic of the Congo, Issamon Claver sits behind a hand-powered sewing machine. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Issamon thought of sewing nothing more than a hobby he enjoyed in his time off from his work at a primary school.
But when he and his family were forced to flee their home in Kwamouth in western DRC, following an outbreak of armed conflict between ethnic groups in August 2022, sewing became a means of survival.
Issamon Claver at his sewing machine in Ngabe, in the Republic of the Congo. After fleeing conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo, he and his family received emergency assistance from CRS emergency response project.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
“One morning, I was sewing after my morning class and around 10 a.m. I saw people running,” Issamon recalls. “They [attackers] were setting fire to everything, killing people. Everyone was panicked. People were falling into the river to try and escape.”
Issamon had some savings and was able to pay a motorized boat to take his family across the river. They were one of the first to arrive in Ngabé.
“We were among the lucky ones,” he says. “On the other side, homes, schools, the hospital, farms—everything was destroyed. Many people died. There is nothing to go back to.”
More than 100,000 people are reported to have fled, many taking refuge in Ngabé.
Most arrived with little more than the clothes they wore. Issamon had used his life savings to pay for the boat ride. They had no food or shelter.
Issamon Claver with his wife Sarah, and their two daughters, Joyce and Sharone, stand together outside their temporary home in Congo.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
As part of the East and Central Africa Rapid Response Fund project, Catholic Relief Services, via its local partner Caritas Congo, initially supported 350 families with the distribution of buckets, soap, cooking pots and utensils, sleeping mats and blankets. They provided 445 women and girls with feminine hygiene kits. Local community members donated food and clothes. Other international organizations provided temporary homes and medical care.
“It was such a help,” Issamon says. “So many of us had nothing.”
In Ngabé, he says he is grateful for the peace, security, and support, but life has not been easy for Issamon and his family since they arrived.
Issamon was, and still is, eager to find work, but most people from Kwamouth and in Ngabé are farmers by trade. Issamon, who was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city Kinshasa, had decided to move to Kwamouth just a year before the attacks. Despite holding two master’s degrees, he struggled to find work in the city. It was easier to find a job in smaller towns, as many schools lacked teachers. And the cost of living was lower than in Kinshasa. He could save up money for his two young daughters’ future education.
Issamon’s daughter, Sharone, wears a dress he sewed for her.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
He admittedly knows nothing about farming or foraging or hunting. And despite being welcomed into the community, teaching jobs are not available to foreigners. And so, he rents a sewing machine and now spends his time sewing. He still struggles to find clients but is able to earn the bare minimum to meet his family’s basic needs, such as food and clothing. But, unable to afford preschool fees for his young daughters, he teaches them from home each day.
Issamon also now advocates on behalf of the refugee families living in Ngabé. Their needs, he says, remain high even a year later.
Still, he remains optimistic. Each day, Issamon saves a small amount of money and is happy to have his family safe.
“My dream would be to go outside [to another country] so that my children can have the best education and find good work,” he says.
In consortium with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, Catholic Relief Services jointly implemented the Rapid Response Fund project for East and Central Africa in seven countries: Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzani, and Uganda. The project mechanism was designed to respond to immediate needs as they emerge, guaranteeing rapid and vital assistance in the short term through activities in water, hygiene, and sanitation, multi-purpose cash assistance, and shelter and habitat. Through the strengthening of organizational and emergency capacities, the project relies on local partner networks to reinforce sustainability and post-crisis transition. 
