DR Congo

What is happening

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has lived through decades of armed conflict, displacement and foreign exploitation. The crisis is especially severe in the eastern provinces, including North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.

Fighting between armed groups, government forces and other parties has forced millions of people from their homes. Many families have been displaced more than once and are living in camps, unfinished buildings or crowded homes with relatives and strangers.

People are being cut off from food, clean water, medicine, school and safe shelter. Hospitals are overwhelmed, roads are unsafe and disease outbreaks become harder to control when families are constantly being forced to move.

Women and girls face an especially serious risk of sexual violence. Survivors often need emergency medical treatment, psychological care, legal support and a safe place to recover.

Congo is also rich in minerals used around the world. The extraction of those resources has too often been tied to dangerous labor, corruption, violence and communities being denied the benefits of their own land. The crisis is bigger than any one mineral or company, but global demand and irresponsible supply chains are part of the story.

Why aid matters

Aid can mean a displaced family receiving food and clean water. It can mean a survivor reaching a hospital, a child returning to school or a community receiving shelter before the rainy season.

It also supports Congolese people who are already organizing, caring for neighbors and trying to protect their communities while living through the same crisis themselves.

• Food and nutrition support
• Clean drinking water and sanitation
• Emergency medical treatment and hospital supplies
• Vaccinations and responses to disease outbreaks
• Shelter and household supplies for displaced families
• Maternal, newborn and child health care
• Medical and psychological care for survivors of sexual violence
• Safe spaces and protection for women and children
• Education and school supplies
• Mobility aids and accessible support for disabled people
• Support for farming, work and household income

How you can help

You do not have to understand every part of Congo's history before you begin helping. Start by listening, learning and supporting people who are already doing the work.

1. Support Congolese-led organizations and local community projects.
2. Donate to medical and recovery services for survivors of violence.
3. Support displaced families through a campaign you have checked.
4. Donate through an established humanitarian organization.
5. Share original campaign links when you cannot donate.
6. Follow Congolese organizers, journalists and educators.
7. Learn about extraction, labor and supply chains without reducing Congo's crisis to technology alone.

Congolese-led aid

Local groups know which families have been overlooked and what people are asking for. Supporting Congolese-led work helps resources reach communities through people who understand the language, place and conditions.

Support survivors

Sexual violence has been used against women and girls throughout the conflict. Survivors deserve medical treatment, privacy, safety, justice and the chance to rebuild their lives without being defined only by what was done to them.

When sharing campaigns involving survivors, do not repost graphic details or personal images unnecessarily. Support should never come at the cost of someone's dignity or privacy.

Humanitarian organizations

Larger organizations can support hospitals, disease response, water systems, nutrition programs and other work that needs more supplies and coordination.

Violence, damaged roads, funding shortages and blocked access can stop aid from reaching everyone who needs it. The need does not disappear when delivery becomes difficult.

Direct campaigns

These campaigns support specific communities and projects. Campaigns can close, change their goal or stop posting updates, so read the latest information before donating or sharing.

Before donating or sharing

• Read the full campaign and its newest updates.
• Check when the latest update was posted.
• Look at who created the campaign and who receives the funds.
• Check whether the use of donations is clearly explained.
• Look for consistent names, images and information.
• Share the original campaign link instead of a screenshot.
• Do not share private or graphic information unnecessarily.
• Remember that campaigns may change as needs change.

Explore and educate yourself

Congo should not only be discussed through violence, minerals or suffering. Learn about its people, history, culture, political struggles and the Congolese movements working for justice.

Learn more

These pages are useful for following displacement, humanitarian needs, medical work and aid responses in Congo.

Check the date on every report. Conditions can change quickly, especially in eastern Congo.

• United Nations OCHA: Democratic Republic of the Congo
• OCHA humanitarian reports for Congo
• UNHCR DR Congo emergency
• UNHCR Congo displacement data
• International Committee of the Red Cross
• Médecins Sans Frontières
• UNICEF Congo appeal
• Panzi Foundation
• Focus Congo
• Friends of the Congo