Donate for Congo
Help in DR Congo
Violence, disease, displacement: the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world and suffers from numerous conflicts. Around a third of the population is dependent on humanitarian aid. Help is active in the particularly poverty-stricken regions of North Kivu and South Kivu and provides aid.
How is Help providing support in Congo?
Strengthening the North Kivu region
A year ago, the situation in eastern Congo escalated again, forcing countless families to flee their homes. Help is active in the particularly affected regions of North Kivu and provides emergency aid for those affected. Together with our partners, we are distributing disinfectants, hygiene kits and diarrhoea medication. We also support the construction of sanitary facilities and thus help to prevent or contain diseases such as cholera. Our aid measures reach around 100,000 people.
Help is also regularly involved in the education sector: a school on the hard-to-access plateau of Minembwe was completely renovated in spring 2022. We have also equipped 3,500 schoolchildren and teachers in the region with solar lamps to promote the right to education and self-determined learning. In Congo, only a fraction of the population has access to electricity. Many schoolchildren first 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 kerosene lamps, which are harmful to health.
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 growing vegetables to ensure their food security. Help has also been active in the field of education, for example by renovating a school and providing learning materials.
Donors: ADH (Aktion Deutschland Hilft)
What is the situation like in Congo?
Democratic Republic of Congo: The need is omnipresent
The population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been suffering from a complex crisis for over 20 years. The east of the country in particular is characterized by armed conflicts, which are mainly due to ethnic conflicts and foreign interventions. Time and again, families are forced to flee the violence. Around 6.4 million people are currently displaced within the country and a further 5.4 million people have fled abroad.
Although the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most water-rich countries in the world, only around half of the population has access to clean water. Millions of people are therefore forced to obtain 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 characterized by extreme poverty, has been particularly affected by the Ebola epidemic in the last four years. The last outbreak began in October 2021. In total, over 2,300 people have died of 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 corona.