The World Bank has granted the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) $60-million to develop community projects in education, health and food security, an official said on Saturday.
”This grant of $60-million dollars will provide … opportunities to develop revenue-generating activities in sectors including education, vocational training, health, nutrition, water, agriculture and rural transport,” said Finda Koroma, in charge of the Social Fund that will manage the World Bank grant.
The Social Fund was set up by DRC President Joseph Kabila in February 2002. It grants scholarships to university students and is involved in projects to teach children and adults to read.
Among its short-term projects are ones aimed at improving road access to rural areas, building schools and hospitals, and improving access to drinking water.
”With this funding we are going to guarantee that these projects take on a permanent aspect, as they are already working very well,” said Koroma.
The World Bank grant will allow the Social Fund to ”improve living conditions for the people and create jobs in rural and urban environments”, she added.
Last year, the DRC began slowly emerging from a five-year war in which about 2,5-million people lost their lives, either directly in combat or through disease and hunger, and which left the infrastructure in the vast country in shambles.
The Social Fund benefits mainly women and children, those displaced by the war, and former fighters and war victims trying to rebuild their lives.
More than 4 000 former fighters from all sides in the war have already been helped by the fund, and 2 000 ex-combatants who were injured in the conflict have been helped to return to civilian life, Koroma said. — Sapa-AFP