GBV Response Through Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Kit Procurement and Distribution V

Project Overviews

GBV Response Through Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Kit Procurement and Distribution V

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to face acute, complex, and prolonged humanitarian crises characterized by frequent internal displacement, widespread insecurity, and increased need for social protection. Protracted conflicts in the eastern part of the country continue to exacerbate the already dire economic situation, further limiting household access to basic services. In 2023, 24.6 million people were expected to need humanitarian assistance, 5.6 million more than in 2021 and 9.6 million more than in 2020. Among them, 1.1 million are at heightened risk for SGBV, representing an almost 100% increase compared to the 606,000 in 2022.  

The fifth consecutive Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Kit project in the DRC, implemented by IMA World Health and funded by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), contributes to a reduction in mortality and morbidity among sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) survivors, ultimately saving lives, alleviating human suffering, and mitigating the impact of sexual violence by improving access to appropriate care. The project targets 115 health zones in the four provinces of Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, and Tanganyika, all with high incidence of sexual violence. In the targeted provinces, the increasing number of SGBV cases stem in part from escalating armed conflicts and a continued deterioration of the protective environment, especially in Nord-Kivu, where M23 and other militias are active.  

Amidst the rising number of SGBV cases, including rape, the DRC continues to face serious PEP Kit supply shortages. Partially due to competing basic needs of the population, the DRC Ministry of Health (MOH) has been unable to adequately supply PEP Kits to areas in need and continues to rely heavily on humanitarian actors to fill gaps. Findings from the endline assessment of a previous BHA-funded PEP Kit Procurement project completed in September 2022 confirmed that IMA World Health continues to be a primary provider of PEP Kits in eastern DRC.  

IMA World Health employs a multipronged PEP Kit supply and distribution strategy, refined over six years of PEP Kit activity implementation in DRC. Based on 2022 District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) data, IMA anticipates serving approximately 92,976 survivors (women, children, and men) arriving at supported health facilities within 72 hours of an assault. To ensure sufficient availability across the targeted HZs, IMA will procure 116,220 individual kits during the July 2024 – July 2026 project period. IMA World Health imports and stores the PEP Kits and develops a distribution strategy with local and international partners within the 115 health zones who share responsibility for their onward distribution to health facilities.

Download Now Oct 28, 2024