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Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Ebola response

Despite being the second-largest country in Africa and rich in natural resources like oil, diamonds, gold and cobalt (which is used to make our smartphones), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the five poorest nations in the world. In 2024, an estimated 73.5 per cent of Congolese people lived on less than £1.73 a day.

Sadly, DRC is currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to escalating conflict in its eastern provinces, leading to human rights violations and a sharp rise in gender-based violence. Over 7 million people are internally displaced.

A better world needs all of us. That’s why CAFOD has been working in DRC for the last 30 years. With your support, we’ve been responding to the ongoing humanitarian crises by distributing emergency food and safe water to people displaced by fighting or following natural disasters like flooding and volcanic eruptions. We’ve also been working with local organisations on peacebuilding with young people and empowering women and girls.

Our impact in 2024

  • Last year, we reached more than 100,000 people in DRC.

  • CAFOD assisted 168,775 people with the distribution of food, as well as items like jerry cans for storing water and hygiene kits for women and girls.

  • Alongside other Catholic agencies, CAFOD built water systems to provide clean, safe water to around 50,000 people.

  • CAFOD reached 47,968 people affected by flooding with emergency cash support so families could choose how to meet their immediate needs.

Why CAFOD works in DRC

Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has killed an estimated 6 million people, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in modern history. The country is one of the poorest in the world, ranked 180 out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index.

Hunger, health, climate and economic crises have compounded the injustices faced by Congolese people: 25.6 million people are experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity and an estimated 4.5 million children are malnourished.

Congolese women face significant barriers to economic opportunities and empowerment, including high rates of gender-based violence and discrimination. Only 16.8 per cent of women have completed secondary school (about half the rate of completion for men) and 50 per cent of women report having experienced physical violence. The number of women facing sexual violence is also increasing.

Our work in DRC

Together, we can build a better world. Donations from people like you can directly respond to the injustices faced by millions of people throughout DRC. With your support, teams of local experts can work through our trusted Church network to deliver vital aid to where it’s needed most.

Projects

Recent fighting in the east of DRC has seen rebel groups encircle Goma, take control of parts of the city and block routes for food access. Women and children fleeing the violence have arrived in the city, exhausted from their journey, to find water and electricity cut off and food prices soaring.

CAFOD are providing emergency food, water and shelter to thousands of families who have been displaced from their homes, often repeatedly.

CAFOD also works with communities affected by natural disasters such as flooding to provide immediate assistance and help them to rebuild their lost livelihoods.

Women and girls in DRC are disproportionately vulnerable to gender-based violence. CAFOD’s local partners are empowering women by leading skills-training sessions. Through learning new trades, like sewing, welding, pastry-making or carpentry, women are able to set up small businesses, increase their income and improve their household living conditions. Mums now have better access to nutritious food as well as funding for their children’s education and medical care.

CAFOD are also supporting girls to escape from mining sites and return to school to complete their education, as well as leading microcredit projects to help women set up life-changing savings and loans groups.

CAFOD are helping to ensure peace by funding reconciliation programmes, as well as practical and psychological support for survivors of rape and violence.

The Suluhisho ya kwetu festival, funded by CAFOD, offered opportunities for young people to host environmentally friendly crafts workshops for students across Goma. The campaign fostered a constructive and inclusive dialogue on preserving the planet and committing to peace.

Through art, dance, theatre, poetry, sport and street paintings, young people have sent a clear message: they are now part of a solution, and they can be counted on as agents for peace.

CAFOD has been helping families in DRC to identify risks to their homes and livelihoods, such as natural disasters and conflict, so they can better prepare, avoid, reduce or respond to these threats if the worst should happen.

News from DRC

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What we do

CAFOD is the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

With your help, we reach out to people living in hard-to-reach places, in war zones and those who are discriminated against.

Find out more