---
title: "NRC in the Central African Republic"
description: "The Central African Republic (CAR) has been torn apart by armed conflict since 2013. As a result, thousands of families have fled their homes and are now living elsewhere in the country – either with host families, or in crowded makeshift settlements."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/central-african-republic"
language: "en"
published: "2025-03-20T14:44:03Z"
modified: "2025-05-07T08:54:55Z"
---

# NRC in the Central African Republic

School ceremony. Photo: Marion Guenard/NRC

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been torn apart by armed conflict since 2013, including brutal clashes during the elections of December 2020. As a result, thousands of families have fled their homes and are now living elsewhere in the country – either with host families, or in crowded makeshift settlements.

Published 20. Mar 2025 Updated 07. May 2025

[Central African Republic](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=38)

CAR is one of the most dangerous places for aid organisations to work. Yet despite the risks, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is there – providing vital humanitarian assistance, advocating for the protection and rights of conflict-affected people, and focusing on the most hard-to-reach areas of the country, where few other organisations operate.

## What’s happening in the Central African Republic?

CAR has faced prolonged instability due to years of political, security and humanitarian crises. In 2025, 2.4 million people (38 per cent of the population) are extremely vulnerable – beyond the scope of humanitarian aid.

Many displaced people have crossed the border into neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, it’s believed that one in five Central Africans is either displaced or living in exile at the present moment.

Often, these families are extremely vulnerable, lacking adequate food, shelter and livelihood opportunities. Infrastructure in CAR is poor, health services are sparse and almost half the population need humanitarian assistance.

## Our response

We’re working with our partners in the following areas:

- **Education** – constructing and rebuilding schools to provide a safe learning environment, providing alternative education programmes for out-of-school children, training teachers and revitalising school management committees, and equipping young people with vital vocational skills.
- **Water, sanitation and hygiene** – constructing, renovating and treating water points and latrines, drilling new boreholes to increase access to safe water, and promoting good hygiene practices.
- **Information, counselling and legal assistance** – helping people obtain legal documentation, assisting with housing, land and property rights, and supporting conflict resolution between communities.
- **Livelihoods and food security** – providing food and essential household items, distributing seeds and tools, and training people in new agricultural techniques to improve yields, as well as supporting Village Savings and Loan Association initiatives to improve self-sufficiency.
- **Shelter and settlements** – providing emergency shelter kits, constructing and repairing more permanent homes, and rebuilding community infrastructure, including schools.
- **Protection from violence** – helping families stay safe from violence, providing dedicated support for people through individual protection assistance, aiding dialogue and mediation processes, and supporting coordination and advocacy efforts by co-facilitating the protection cluster.

[Download the factsheet for NRC in CAR](https://www.nrc.no/resources/fact-sheets/nrc-car--fact-sheet)

## Our operations

**NRC office established:** 2014

**Areas of operation:** Bangui (country office), Nana-Gribizi, Ombella-Mpoko, Mambere-Kadei, Nana Mambere, Sangha-Mbaéré, Basse-Kotto, Ouham Pende, Ouham Fafa, Kemo

**Country Director:** Alain Cavenaile

**Contact:** [alain.cavenaile@nrc.no](mailto:alain.cavenaile@nrc.no)

## Our impact

In 2025, we assisted 117,864 people through our programmes in the Central African Republic:

- 63,873

  Education
- 12,507

  Shelter and settlements
- 695

  Protection from violence
- 14,147

  Information, counselling and legal assistance
- 29,321

  Water, sanitation and hygiene
- 1,999

  Multi-purpose cash assistance

***Note:** some people received more than one type of assistance.*

### News and stories

## [Back to school, back to life](https://www.nrc.no/feature/2026/back-to-school-back-to-life)

13. Aug 2026 | Feature

## [A place to call home](https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2025/a-place-to-call-home)

05. May 2025 | Central African Republic

## [Nana can finally reclaim her home](https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2025/nana-can-finally-reclaim-her-home)

24. Apr 2025 | Central African Republic

[More news and stories](https://www.nrc.no/search?searchCategories=123,125,172,335,38&searchMethod=1)

### Publications

## [Challenges and obstacles related to accessing housing, land and property rights in the Central African Republic](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/challenges-and-obstacles-related-to-accessing-hlp-rights-in-car)

02. Mar 2026 | Central African Republic

## [The world's most neglected displacement crises in 2023](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/the-worlds-most-neglected-displacement-crises-in-2023)

03. Jun 2024 | Burkina Faso|Central African Republic|Chad|DR Congo|Honduras|Mali|Niger|South Sudan|Sudan|Cameroon

## [Addressing HLP rights in humanitarian responses in West and Central Africa](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/addressing-hlp-rights-in-humanitarian-responses-west-and-central-africa)

04. Dec 2023 | Burkina Faso|Central African Republic|DR Congo|Mali|Niger|Nigeria|Cameroon

[More publications](https://www.nrc.no/search?searchCategories=124,131,132,175,178,314,315,38&searchMethod=1)

**Region:** Central Africa  
**Population:** 5.51 million  
**Total displaced:** 1.1 million  
**Refugees hosted:** 63,761