Self-Determination in Central African Republic
“I used to walk on the ground with my hands, like babies who often walk on all fours,” says nineteen-year-old Philippe Ngbengmon, who lives in the village of Kpoloc, in western Central African Republic. Born with a disability that affected his feet, Philippe depends on a bike that doubles as a wheelchair for mobility. Designed to handle rough, uneven terrain, Philippe’s bike easily gets him where he needs to go—today, that’s to join other young men in his village for a late-afternoon meal and chat.
Nineteen-year-old Philippe Ngbengmon with his bike that also serves as a wheelchair. In 2023, Philippe was displaced by violent conflict and his bike broke down. He was able to access the funding he needed to repair it thanks to a project led by CRS and Caritas Bouar.
Photo by Bienvenu Gbelo/CRS
“I had difficulty moving forward, which hindered my mobility for a long time,” says Philippe, who lived most of his life with his parents some 50 miles away. But in 2023, he was forced to flee his village after his parents were killed during violent attacks related to an ongoing political-military crisis. With no home left and his belongings gone, Philippe traveled more than 40 miles on his bike to a safer area with the help of a nephew.
For a time, Philippe struggled to resettle, lacking even the most basic of necessities. Then, a local family offered to take him in. He moved once again, this time to Kpoloc village. His living conditions improved, but by then, his bike was in poor shape. It needed new tires and other repairs, and Philippe couldn’t afford the cost.
His life took another turn in 2024, when staff members from Catholic Relief Services’ Emergency Food Assistance project, which is funded by Caritas Norway, came to Kpoloc. The project supports families affected by conflict in the northwest region of the Central African Republic by providing monthly cash distributions to be used for food and other critical needs. As an internally displaced person, Philippe was eligible for three cash distributions.
Each distribution provided Philippe with approximately $34, which he used to purchase food and new tires for his bike. Finally, after months of needing repairs, Philippe’s bike was functional again.
“I've got my feet back and can now move around and take part in village activities,” Philippe says, with a smile on his face. “I'm happy and I want this project to be able to continue to relieve people in vulnerable situations like me.”
The Caritas Norway Flex-Fund and Emergency Response Program, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Caritas Norway, and implemented by CRS and Caritas Bouar, is a series of two three-month emergency response projects aimed at saving lives, alleviating suffering and protecting the human dignity of conflict-affected households in the northwest region of the Central African Republic. These projects consist of unconditional cash transfers to improve food security and conflict management training for community leaders. Over 35,000 people have benefited from this support since 2020.
