Central African Republic

HI’s programme in the Central African Republic supports humanitarian organisations by providing logistical solutions to improve the storage and distribution of humanitarian aid. The programme also supports physical rehabilitation centres in the country and implements inclusion and armed violence reduction projects.

An HI physiotherapist works with a young patient in Bambari

Actions in process

HI first worked in the Central African Republic from 1994 to 2004 running development programmes that included opening the Bangui orthopaedic centre and setting up the country's only university training course for physical therapy assistants. HI returned to CAR in 2016 to launch logistics platform projects that support and facilitate the delivery of aid by humanitarian organisations throughout the country. Today, the programme manages a logistics platform composed of a road and river component and an aerial component.

In September 2018, in partnership with MSF Holland, HI CAR introduced rehabilitation activities at Bambari General Hospital. This project provides physical rehabilitation care, technical devices and psychosocial support to people with specific needs. In 2022, HI opened an integrated rehabilitation service in Bangassou hospital, similar to the one in Bambari. Teams have also been delivering stimulation therapy activities to children who have experienced an episode of acute to severe malnutrition. The aim of stimulation therapy is to prevent and reduce developmental delays and disabilities linked to malnutrition and to encourage parents to stimulate their child.

In 2022, HI launched its first explosive ordnance risk education project in the north- east of the country. This project is being conducted in conjunction with a mental health and psychosocial support project aimed at populations exposed to the risks of explosive devices or in situations of psychological distress.

Finally, HI has just started a pilot project on inclusive education in three prefectures: Ouaka, Ouham and Ouham-Pende. The aim is to promote access to quality education for girls and boys with disabilities

Areas of intervention

Situation of the country

Central African Republic suffers from structural underdevelopment and is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a human development index that places it second to last in the 2018 UNDP Human Development Index.

The country, marked by chronic instability since its independence in 1958, experienced an unprecedented humanitarian, political and security crisis during the third Central African civil war, which began in 2013. Although the violence temporarily subsided, violent clashes resumed in December 2020 and continue to this day, causing a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation.

The resulting insecurity and repeated population displacements have had serious socio-economic repercussions, compounded by the COVID-19 crisis, the impact of the war in Ukraine and sub-regional conflicts (Sudan and Chad). These factors external to the Central African conflict are having a direct impact on inflation, which reached 5.7% in 2022. As a landlocked country in the heart of Africa, the country is feeling the full impact of global geopolitical developments.

Number of HI staff: 84
Programmed opened in:1994