A family sat outside their house in DRC.

From destruction to recovery, helping families returning home in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Many have lost everything, their homes looted or destroyed in the fighting.

“Catastrophic.” This is how War Child’s Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Country Director, Marie Soudnie Rivette, described the situation for children in eastern DRC.

War Child has been working in the DRC since 2003, but the past six months have brought the worst violence we’ve witnessed in over a decade.

Escalating clashes between armed groups triggered fierce fighting and forced more than 7.8 million people to flee their homes, half of them children. Around 70% of camps and shelters in and around Goma and many more in other locations have been dismantled causing further displacement. Trapped in the chaos, many children have been killed, injured, or left running for their lives.

A ceasefire announced on April 24th could not have come soon enough. But the situation is still fragile. This pause in fighting must be used to deliver urgent support to the hundreds of thousands of children who have lost everything.

A food distribution taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

War Child is supporting families returning home to Kirotche and Kibumba with essential non-food item kits. Many have lost everything, their homes looted or destroyed in the fighting. 

These kits, which include blankets, kitchen sets, and other vital supplies, are helping families start to rebuild. So far, 1,260 kits have been distributed to the most vulnerable households, reaching around 7,560 people.

Alliance, Baraka, Adidja and Grace were amongst those who received the kits.

Adidja is a mother of four children and is struggling to rebuild her life and her small business. The kit will allow Adidja to save money for her small business instead of spending it on new household items.

Adidja is a mother of four children and is struggling to rebuild her life and her small business. The kit will allow Adidja to save money for her small business instead of spending it on new household items.
Alliance is a mother of two children, with another baby on the way. The kit will allow her to save her money for her motherhood instead of spending more to equip her house with household items that she lost during her displacement.

Alliance is a mother of two children, with another baby on the way. The kit will allow her to save her money for her motherhood instead of spending more to equip her house with household items that she lost during her displacement.
Grace, 16 years old, was separated from her family. With support from War Child she has been welcomed into a transitional foster family and the family received a kit.

Grace, 16 years old, was separated from her family. With support from War Child she has been welcomed into a transitional foster family and the family received a kit.
Baraka is unemployed and has a disability. She previously resorted to borrowing items from her neighbours for housework and to wash herself but now she has equipment of her own.

Baraka is unemployed and has a disability. She previously resorted to borrowing items from her neighbours for housework and to wash herself but now she has equipment of her own.
Adidja is a mother of four children and is struggling to rebuild her life and her small business. The kit will allow Adidja to save money for her small business instead of spending it on new household items.
Alliance is a mother of two children, with another baby on the way. The kit will allow her to save her money for her motherhood instead of spending more to equip her house with household items that she lost during her displacement.
Grace, 16 years old, was separated from her family. With support from War Child she has been welcomed into a transitional foster family and the family received a kit.
Baraka is unemployed and has a disability. She previously resorted to borrowing items from her neighbours for housework and to wash herself but now she has equipment of her own.

Now more than ever, the people of DRC need support and War Child is on the ground, delivering life-saving aid where it’s needed most. 

Your support means children and families can access the essentials they need to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives with dignity.

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Decades of conflict, worsened by natural disasters and medical outbreaks, make the Democratic Republic of Congo one of the hardest places in the world to be a child.

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