Information provided by Lutheran World Service for ACT member Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

The LWF team arrived in Koukou early Saturday morning. Team members are: Demba Niang (team leader), Gregory Bakken (PME officer) and Laye Kourouma (logistics).

Flooding in the operational area has worsened and the situation in several camps and also in Koukou town itself is serious. LWF along with the site planner from HCR are currently finalizing plans for an evacuation camp on higher ground near the entrance into Koukou town. Both IDPs and the local population have been affected.

Contingency plans are being designed for up to 13,000 people needing relocating. Of those, 2,000 are from the local host population. Currently 60 households from Habile 1 are being relocated and 34 households from Koukou town.

LWF has begun the process of providing identity cards to those relocating and registering people in need of assistance. Each household will be issued with a card.

A general distribution of soap is ongoing, as hygiene is a major concern and there is a fear that water born diseases will begin to spread fast.

Major activities will focus for the moment on recruitment of local personnel, meetings with the internally displaced people and their leadership, meetings with the partners (planning, coordination, contingency planning, and prioritization of activities) and setting up the office in Koukou.

Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

For further information, please contact: Callie Long, ACT Communications Officer (office: +41 22 791 6039 / mobile: +41 79 358 3171)

Sidney Traynham, ACT Assistant Communications Officer (office: +41 22 791 6711 / mobile: +41 79 681 1868)

ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org