Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has endured the deadliest conflict since World War II, with fighting and disease killing as many as 5.4 million people since 1996.
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DRC: the facts
Conflict has devastated the economic and social development of the DRC, and it remains a fragile state with enormous development challenges. Fighting continues in some areas, especially the East, and the potential for its expansion is ever present. Constant warfare has left the country’s infrastructure badly damaged; approximately 2.3 million people are internally displaced and a further 323,000 are refugees in surrounding countries.
Sexual violence has been widely used as a weapon of war and Eastern Congo now has the world’s highest prevalence of rape. Over 30,000 women and girls were raped between 2008 and 2009 alone.
4.4 million Congolese children, including one third of primary aged and 84 percent of secondary aged students, do not attend school. Poverty means many families cannot afford school uniforms and supplies for their children, and instead force them to work to support their households.
The average life expectancy is just 48 years, and 1 in 5 children die before the age of five, mainly from malaria and malnutrition. Other common diseases include tuberculosis, measles, river blindness, diphtheria, leprosy and diarrhea; many of which are spread because of the lack of medical care and access to clean water (46 percent) and sanitation (31 percent). One million people are also living with HIV/AIDS and 680,000 children have lost one or both parents to the virus. Infection rates range from 1.8 percent to 4.9 percent depending on the region.
Economic disparities continue to grow within the DRC, with the wealthiest 10 percent of the population controlling 35 percent of the country’s wealth, while the poorest 10 percent own just 2 percent.
The DRC suffers from droughts, flooding and volcanoes, while water pollution due to mining and land erosion from deforestation are the major environmental concerns.
The DRC is home to 132,295 refugees from Angola, 37,313 from Rwanda, 17,777 from Burundi, 13,904 from Uganda, 6,181 from Sudan and 5,243 from the Republic of Congo.
Caritas Australia in the DRC
Through our 2 local partners, Caritas Australia implemented 4 projects in the DRC in 2010/2011. A total of AU $311,183 was spent on projects covering a variety of issues including HIV/AIDS, Basic Health, Microfinance, Agriculture, Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergencies.
Snapshot of our recent work
- In Goma Diocese, 500 women and girls had access to medical care and trauma counselling.
- 250 girls in Goma Diocese received income generation and skills-building training to enable them to have a secure livelihood.