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
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. We also raise awareness among the population about how to deal with infectious diseases and supply healthcare facilities with chlorine so that cleaning agents and water can be treated safely on site.
Help is also active in the education sector: a school on the hard-to-access plateau of Minembwe was completely renovated in spring 2022. We are currently equipping 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.
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.