CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC|GIVE US PEACE.

Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

Have you heard of Central African Republic (CAR)? Did you know it is currently at war? I didn’t. So lets learn about it together.

Sine 2012, a mere 3 years ago, thousands of people have been killed and displaced due to civil war in CAR. And currently, 1.6 million Africans are struggling to survive. Lets stop for a moment. Envision Central African Republic, ranked number 3 of the poorest countries in the world. A country burdened with poverty, malnutrition, minimal access to health services, AIDS, crime and now- lets add war.

40% of the population is under the age of 14. In Australia 40% of the population is between 25-54. The median age in CAR is 19. Median age in Australia is 38. HIV/AIDS prevalence in CAR is 4.7%- its 0/1% in Australia. In conflict it is often men who leave to fight. It is men who are often killed. This leaves women alone and vulnerable, not only to support their families but also to protect them. Internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camps, where many flee to for safety, are completely unprotected and armed persons move among them almost freely. To support their families, women carry water from wells and walk to collect firewood, often several kilometres away. They must find food and cook daily to provide for their families. This is the daily life of displaced Central African women today. Their country is at war- today. Most families share a tent with several others. They use whatever they can to gain some type of privacy, many building makeshift barriers from scraps they can find. It isn’t a safe place for women and girls to live. Boys grab girls in the tents at night, women won’t go to the toilet for fear of assault, every trip to collect firewood is dangerous in these times of conflict. However, each day, Central African women continue. They continue to fetch water, firewood and provide for their families. They find ways to minimize risk by traveling in groups, by using buckets for personal needs, by making improvised locks for the tents to discourage intruders. 

Without peace, without the end of civil conflict- ‘normal’ lives remain on hold. People do not go to work and children do not go to school. People cannot return home nor can they begin to rebuild their lives- start again- thrive. They are constantly under threat knowing that whatever they rebuild today can be taken away tomorrow. I wonder… are we, as a humanitarian community, complacent because these women remain resilient, or is it that we fail to listen to their voices as they explain what they need? 

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world.

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutCentralAfricanRepublic