The Issue
For nearly three decades, North and South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have endured recurrent armed conflicts. These clashes have left behind heavy contamination from landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Hidden in fields, roads, and villages, these devices continue to threaten civilian lives long after the fighting ends.
Rural communities, whose survival depends largely on agriculture and mobility, face serious challenges. Access to farmland, water points, schools, and markets is severely limited, worsening poverty, food insecurity, and forced displacement.
Beyond the immediate risk of injury and death, explosive contamination undermines economic recovery and hampers humanitarian and development efforts. Women and children are especially vulnerable, often forced to cross dangerous areas to attend school or carry out daily chores.
The ongoing threat affects every aspect of community life, creating fear, restricting livelihoods, and isolating already fragile populations. Without urgent action, these risks will continue to delay recovery and prolong the suffering of civilians.
The Project
The humanitarian action project seeks not only to save lives and prevent accidents, but also to restore safety, open access to vital resources, and enable communities to rebuild their future in a secure environment. To protect communities in North and South Kivu from explosive hazards, the project uses a coordinated and strategic approach. Awareness sessions on explosive risks are carried out for the most vulnerable groups – children, women, men, displaced and returning people, and with particular attention to the elderly. These sessions strengthen understanding of safe behaviour, help people recognize dangerous areas, and encourage the reporting of suspicious objects. This reduces accidents and save lives.
The project also includes non-technical surveys to identify and map contaminated areas and carries out targeted explosive destruction to safely remove threats. In addition, secure escorts are provided for international humanitarian organizations operating in high-risk zones. To ensure long-term impact, the project builds the capacity of local actors through training on explosive-risk education and basic first aid, improving safety and effectiveness in their daily work. Together, these activities improve community protection, expand access to essential services, and help restore people’s confidence in their daily environment.
The Change
The project aims to improve the lives of communities in North and South Kivu by reducing the risks posed by explosive devices and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations. Through awareness sessions on explosive risks, children, women, men, internally displaced people, returnees, and older persons gain essential knowledge to recognize dangers and adopt safe behaviours, helping to significantly reduce accidents and save lives.
The project includes non-technical surveys and carries out targeted disposal operations to clear farmland, roads, and community spaces. This allows families to resume their daily activities and enables children to return to school safely. In addition, the project strengthens the capacities of local organizations through training in explosive-risk education and basic life support, supporting a safer and more effective humanitarian response in high-risk areas.
In Mubambiro, in Sake territory, a family had stopped cultivating their fields because of the presence of explosive devices. After the project secured the land, the family was able to resume farming, improve their food security, and regain confidence in their local environment. Overall, the project protects lives, restores safety, and strengthens community confidence in their everyday surroundings.
Partners
The project is implemented with several national and international partners who provide expertise and support in the field.
The Congolese Mine Action Centre, the national authority, plays a central role by ensuring the accreditation of demining organizations, quality management, and the issuance of task orders.
In South Kivu, Action for the Integral Development of the Community supports community awareness and demining activities, while AFRILAM directly contributes to the operational implementation of the project.
About this project
- Full title: Protect lives, reduce explosive threats, and strengthen community resilience
- Timeline: January 2025 to December 2025
- Partner(s): Action for the Integral Development of the Community (ADIC)
- Amount: 5.000.000 DKK
- DCA Theme: Save Lives
- Expected number of people reached: 40.816
- Donor(s): DANIDA
