DRC
Current Situation
The Democratic Republic of Congo is still regularly listed as the site of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Millions of its people suffer from a lethal combination of disease and hunger caused by ongoing conflict and displacement. 5.4 million dead since 1998 from war-related violence, hunger and disease. Tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped.
Bageni Katembereza was forced to flee from her home village, due to the ongoing fighting in the DRC. She and her six children walked down the dirt roads of Eastern Congo toward safety, not knowing where they were headed, only sensing they had to get away. Once they were out of the danger zone, Bageni found Siyawna Mulingeza waiting for her, opening her humble home to a perfect stranger. “They were just wandering on the road, and had no place to sleep. So we invited them into our home,” said Siyawna, though she has barely enough resources to take care of her own family.
The massive displacement of civilian populations by the conflict in Eastern Congo doesn’t look like similar population movements elsewhere, where giant camps of internally displaced persons form overnight, clustered near the relative safety of urban centers. In the eastern Congo around 70 percent of those left homeless by war are taken in by other families. The hosts, like the guests, have few resources, and it is the hospitality of the poor that welcomes the poor.
Our partners in the area have set up programs to aid those who have taken in refugees. We provide additional supplies, food, and training programs to people like Bageni and Siyawna, so that they can help one another survive this conflict.
Act for Peace in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Act for Peace is working with project partners in the DRC in order to bring some stability to the lives of the Congolese people. This includes support through nutrition programs that provide food to Congolese people in need and teach parents how to ensure that their children are receiving proper nutrition. Our project partners are also providing seeds, tools and educational programs in order to supplement the agriculture in the region and work toward increasing food stability in the long term.
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Can provide clothing, a blanket, mosquito netting, soap and dishes for a displaced family. |
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Can provide 50 children with a five piece clothing kit. |
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Can provide grain and vegetable seeds to farmers, so that they can produce nutritional food for their families. |
