Côte d’Ivoire’s civil war began in 2002 and has since fluctuated between periods of intense violence followed by relative calm. Despite a peace agreement in 2007, the situation remains tense. French and UN peacekeepers were deployed to patrol a buffer zone that separates the government-controlled south and rebel-occupied north. The civil violence has caused thousands of deaths, the internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and the decay of basic community infrastructure such as health centers, water services, and schools.

How We Help

The International Rescue Committee opened a program in Abidjan in 2003 to respond to the needs of families displaced by the civil conflicts in both Côte d’Ivoire and neighboring Liberia. Initially focusing on education and health care services, the IRC now runs programs that deal with environmental health, gender-based violence, child protection, education, and development, economic recovery, and community-building. With three field sites at Man, Yamoussoukro and Tabou, the IRC currently reaches approximately 1.1 million people through its programs in Côte d’Ivoire.