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Children from the Mbuti community of Bahaha in Ituri, DRC.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the second-largest country in Africa. It has been ravaged by conflict for decades. It is a country rich in natural resources, yet is one of the ten poorest countries in the world.
The DRC has vast amounts of oil, diamonds, gold and other natural resources like cobalt, which is used in making our smart phones. At the same time, 74% of this country of 84 million people live in poverty. Many people are affected by chronic hunger and the spread of diseases, like measles and ebola. Violence against women is widespread.
With your support, Trócaire is providing life-saving support such as food, water and shelter. We support women who have survived violence. We also work on longer-term projects to build resilient communities. So people don’t go hungry, so that women are free from violence. So that people are protected and safe, and can live with dignity.
DR CongoHuman Development Index:
Ranked 179 out of 189 countries
Hunger:
second most food-insecure country in the world
Poverty:
74% live in poverty
Displaced:
over 5 million internally displaced within DRC
Cobalt:
60% of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined from DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced civil war since 1997. This has caused an estimated 5.4 million deaths, half of which were children under five years of age.
The country is one of the poorest in the word, ranked 179 out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index. It faces huge challenges of food insecurity, acute malnutrition and outbreaks of epidemics. The majority of the population rely on farming to feed themselves.
Human rights violations continue to increase. Although a peace treaty was signed between government and rebel groups in 2013, violence remains an ongoing problem for many people. In the east of the country, many armed forces are active and fighting continues. The conflict, along with severe poverty, has displaced 5 million people inside the country.
Women and girls face additional problems. DRC has one of the worst records regarding gender equality (147th among 152 countries). Women are politically, economically and socially marginalised. The literacy rate for men is 76.9% and only 57% for women. Gender-based violence is a significant problem, with over 1.9 million women in the DRC experiencing rape during their life.
Politically, while women have equal rights in relation to political participation, they are still inadequately represented in the country’s main decision-making bodies.
The country has large natural resources available for mining. However, despite this massive natural wealth, poor infrastructure and corruption has reduced the country’s chances of developing the economy. Huge exploitation means that much of DR Congo’s natural resources doesn’t stay within the country.
Our work in DRC focuses on humanitarian response to cover basic needs (food, water, shelter, protection). This is complemented by longer-term work to promote resilient communities and gender equality.
Trócaire has supported local partner organisations in the DRC since the early 1990s. We opened an office in Kinshasa in 2008. In 2015, the Trócaire office moved to Ituri province in the east of DRC. Ituri province is affected by ongoing low intensity armed conflict and regular natural disasters. Based in the regional capital of Bunia, we are now closer to the affected populations and our local partner organisations.
DRC has been one of Trócaire’s pilot countries implementing an integrated programme to increase impact and better address power inequalities.
The integrated programme is geographically-focused in the territories of Djugu and Mambasa. It brings together humanitarian, livelihoods and women’s empowerment components with the same communities.
The target population in Djugu and Mambasa are internally displaced people, host communities, and those who have returned following displacement. It also includes marginalised indigenous people such as the Mbuti living in Mambasa territory.
Trócaire and seven local partner organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have hosted the launch of an e...
Helena (pictured above) is from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the poorest countries in the world. Peopl...
Trócaire is delighted to announce that the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) will finance a T...
By mid-March, more than 180 people had been killed and over 100 villages burned to the ground. Over 40,000 people have c...
While travelling to Biringi refugee camp in Aru, Ituri province, I passed through an extremely challenging environment. ...
At the moment she was elected Chief of her village, Dzve Tsolosi could look into the distance and see the bushes where s...
Sorcha Fennell reports on a recent visit to Trócaire-funded projects in Bunia in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (...
Carol Ballantine, Policy Officer, reports from a recent symposium on women’s participation in advocacy and political l...
Trócaire’s office is based in Kinshasa, the country’s capital city, but our programmes are implemented by local par...
