Young girls like Sitia face terrifying circumstances just about every day in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
DR Congo has been a country in crisis for more than two decades. Despite being home to one of the largest reserves of potential wealth, with 200 million acres of cultivable land and large reserves of gold, diamonds, copper, zinc, coltan and cobalt, DR Congo is among the world’s poorest countries. Currently, 75% of the population live below the poverty line.
A history marked by the slave trade, colonialism and exploitation has led to deep inequities and almost continuous fighting among more than 100 warring factions since 1998. Deadly clashes between rival militias, political instability, local inter-communal tensions, land disputes and natural disasters all contribute to the volatility that has created the largest internal displacement crisis in all of Africa.
World Relief has been responding to humanitarian crises in DRC since 2001. Working in close partnership with local churches, we have been walking alongside communities through agricultural and food assistance, child development and protection programing, healthcare, nutritional support, sanitation and hygiene projects, support for those impacted by sexual and gender-based violence and more.
Today, in spite of increasingly volatile conditions, we remain committed to the people of DR Congo and to finding solutions for the current displacement crisis and for families like Setia’s.
CREDIT: World Relief
