Chechnya

Background
Chechnya, an oil-rich Russian republic in the volatile north Caucasus, has seen its economy and infrastructure ruined by years of war between local separatists and Russian forces, combined with some civil conflict and organized crime. The most recent episode of the long-running conflict between Russia and Chechnya began with the Chechen bid for independence following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. The fighting has continued on and off since that time, and, while estimates of the number of dead and missing vary—from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands—it has undisputedly taken a bloody toll on both sides. Human rights abuses have been rampant and widespread.

The conflict has also caused tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes since its onset. Many traveled to neighboring Ingushetia and Dagestan, where the strain on local host communities of supporting so many refugees resulted in a humanitarian emergency. While over 25,000 refugees remain there today, regional authorities began shutting down the largest camps in Ingushetia in January 2006 and repatriating the refugees to temporary shelters throughout Chechnya. With security still a major concern, Chechens will need significant assistance from the international community in order to rebuild their lives.

What IMC Is Doing
IMC began working with war-affected Chechen refugees and Ingush host communities in Ingushetia in spring 2000, to help the already overburdened health system cope with an inflow of refugees who, at the height of the crisis, nearly doubled the local population of the tiny Russian republic. IMC teams provided health and livelihood assistance in nearly 80 camps and to 10 villages in the hardest hit areas, and worked with partners such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to ensure that the immediate needs of those affected by the crisis were being met.

Since that time, IMC has expanded its programming in Chechnya to accommodate the growing number of returnees. IMC runs mobile health care clinics to reach the rural poor and elderly; provides training for local health professionals and community health activists in first aid, emergency care, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis control and family planning; provides a range of preventive and curative health care services, with a special focus on women and children; runs a large-scale immunization program for children under the age of five; and distributes educational materials to the general public on HIV/AIDS, communicable disease, and health and hygiene.

IMC also builds the capacity of the local health system by rehabilitating clinics, providing essential drugs and medical supplies to health facilities, training staff, offering logistical support, and ensuring quality service delivery.

To help Chechens re-establish their livelihoods, IMC runs food-for-work and income-generating programs in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan. These include such components as vocational training on driving or nursing and guidance on the development and operation of small cooperative businesses such as bakeries or sewing workshops. These and other microfinance projects are giving rural Chechen villages the tools and resources they need to become self-reliant. IMC is committed to providing much-needed care and training to the thousands of Chechen civilians who have suffered from one of the world's fiercest conflicts.