Enhancing the emergency response through community engagement
Image credit: EU ECHO, Matin Karimi
In April 2025, with the support of H2H, we launched a new project to enhance humanitarian programming in eastern DRC by providing real-time, community-driven data on protection risks and needs.
Since the escalation of conflict and rapid return of displaced populations since January 2025, humanitarian response actors have faced severe access challenges and a dynamic situation, making data on needs and population movements challenging to access. This has been compounded by the funding cuts. Our scoping conversations revealed an urgent need for real-time, community-informed data for more effective programming.
Building on these consultations, the project will now move into a research phase, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore community perceptions on protection and social cohesion. This next phase will focus on areas of return in Rutshuru and Masisi (North Kivu), and Kalehe (South Kivu), where displaced people are coming back to highly volatile environments with limited support and rising local tensions. We will publish regular short bulletins with timely insights to support humanitarian actors in adjusting their strategies and interventions in line with evolving needs and priorities.
Donor
Project partners
Victims Hope
