FY14 Q2 Report: January 1st-March 31st, 2014: Reinforcing and Empowering Communities to Overcome the Effects of Conflict in Bambari and Surrounding Areas (RECOVER)

The project aimed to reinforce the resilience of communities in Bambari and surrounding areas to overcome the effects of the ongoing conflict. The project's main objective was to provide protection and socio-economic interventions to vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons (IDPs). The RECOVER program was designed to respond to the mounting protection and relief needs of conflict-affected communities in northeastern CAR. The Ouaka Prefecture, where Bambari is located, has been particularly affected by the invasion of Séléka rebels in December 2012 and March 2013. The region is one of the most vulnerable prefectures in terms of food insecurity in the country and is home to over 30% of those displaced by the conflict. Through RECOVER, Mercy Corps is building upon the foundation of its previous programming in Bambari, providing much-needed assistance in the areas of psychosocial support, GBV prevention and response, health, and economic support to IDPs. The project's expected results include providing protection services to 15,000 vulnerable people, including 2,000 IDPs, restoring assets for 2,250 vulnerable people, including 100 IDPs, improving livelihoods and income generation opportunities for 900 vulnerable people, including 100 IDPs, and increasing the capacity of 15 communities to prevent and mitigate the effects of conflict. The project's implementation is ongoing, with startup activities continuing during the reporting quarter. Staff recruitment was a key activity during the reporting quarter, with a Program Manager relocating to CAR in mid-February 2014 and four new program staff joining Mercy Corps. However, the recruitment of a livelihoods and microenterprise agent has proven challenging due to the difficulty in finding qualified staff in Bambari and the reluctance of people in Bangui to relocate to Bambari. The baseline study and Labor Market Assessment were also conducted during the reporting quarter, providing a benchmark against which progress will be measured and capturing the trends of high-potential growth sectors and market opportunities. The security situation in the country remained highly volatile during the reporting quarter, with the deployment of international peacekeepers and the continued presence of Anti-Balaka militia. However, none of the security incidents had a significant impact on the project's implementation, and Mercy Corps continued to closely monitor the political and security situation in CAR and in Bambari specifically. The project's activities were not directly affected by the situation, and Mercy Corps increased the radius of its activities from 5 to 12km of Bambari town center following relative improvements in the security situation.