DR Congo: Fight against diseases

Congo's location on the African continent

Democratic Republic of the Congo – Every donation counts

Violence, disease, displacement: the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world and suffers from numerous conflicts. Around one third of the population is dependent on humanitarian aid. Help is active in the particularly poverty-stricken region of North Kivu and provides aid.

Help the people in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Donate now!

Table of contents

What is the situation like in Congo?

Many people in the DR Congo have to drink water from rivers — In many rural regions of the DR Congo, there is no safe drinking water supply.

Democratic Republic of Congo: The need is omnipresent

For more than 20 years, the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been suffering from a complex crisis. The east of the country in particular is marked by armed conflict, mainly due to ethnic strife and foreign intervention. Time and again, families are forced to flee the violence.

Although the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most water-rich countries in the world, only about half of the population has access to clean water. Millions of people are therefore forced to draw their drinking water from contaminated rivers, putting their health at risk. This often leads to infectious diseases such as cholera or Ebola.

The region of North Kivu, which is characterised by extreme poverty, has been particularly often affected by the Ebola epidemic in the last four years. The last outbreak began in October 2021. In total, more than 2,300 people have died from Ebola in Congo since 2018. In North Kivu, the population suffers from catastrophic hygiene conditions. Only a few families have access to water and sanitation – the perfect breeding ground for life-threatening diseases such as Ebola, cholera or COVID-19.

How is Help providing support in Congo?

Ein von Help errichteter Brunnen im Kongo — By developing new sources of drinking water, we help improve access to clean water and reduce disease.

Strengthening the North Kivu region

Help is active in North Kivu, a province where violence and displacement are particularly frequent. Here, Help regularly supports the prevention of infectious diseases such as Ebola and COVID-19, for example by building drinking water sources, latrines and hand washing facilities. In addition, we sensitise the population on how to deal with infectious diseases and supply health facilities with chlorine so that cleaning agents and water can be safely processed on site.

We are currently equipping 3,500 school children and teachers in the region with solar lamps to promote education. In Congo, only a fraction of the population has access to electricity. Many schoolchildren have to help their families with the housework after school and only get to do their homework in the evening. Thanks to our solar lamps, the children no longer have to resort to harmful paraffin lamps.

In the past, we have also provided emergency aid for refugees in South Kivu: Those affected received hygiene articles, clothing and blankets as well as seeds for vegetable cultivation to secure their nutrition. Help was also active in the field of education, among other things by renovating a school and providing learning materials.

Donors and partners: ADH (Aktion Deutschland Hilft)

Facts and Figures

Figures about the Democratic Republic of the Congo

27 million people in Congo depend on humanitarian aid (02/2022)
5.5 million people are displaced inside DR Congo (07/2022)
Over 27 million people in DR Congo need food assistance (11/2021)
Only about 15 per cent of the population have access to basic sanitation (2020)

Source: ReliefWeb, WHO

Facts about Help in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

3,500 school children and teachers receive solar lamps
Measures to combat COVID 19 and Ebola for 163,000 people in Karisimbi and around 200,000 people in Katoyi
500 children and 20 teachers at the ISOKO school have access to water and sanitation again
700 households were provided with clothing, blankets and hygiene items
1,000 households received seeds for vegetable cultivation (cabbage, onions, aubergine)
2,500 children from 10 different schools received new school materials
The ISOKO school in Minembwe was equipped with 100 new desks.
11,000 people benefit from the improvement of the drinking water structure

Status: October 2022