Democratic Republic of Congo
The second largest country of Africa, full of paradoxes. On one hand, it is rich in natural resources (including cobalt, copper, coltan, crude oil, diamonds, gold); on the other hand, its inhabitants are among the poorest in the world. For decades, the DRC has been suffering from prolonged conflicts that have led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.
Overview:
- 77% of the population live in extreme poverty for less than $1.90 a day
- 16% of the country’s population, i.e. over 13 million people, require immediate humanitarian assistance
- 13,6 million people are deprived of access to safe water sources and proper sanitary and hygienic facilities
- numerous outbreaks of deadly diseases, including measles, malaria, cholera and Ebola
- about 10% of all malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa occurred here
Our hospital carries over
27 000
medical procedures per year
We treat about
7000
malaria patients every year
Our midwives delivered about
953
babies in 2023
We feed
We treat
We are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis!
The rebels have entrenched themselves in their positions just 800 metres east of our nutrition centre and hospital in Ntamugenga. We find ourselves at the centre of this chaos. A ceasefire is in place for the time being, but any spark could restart the fighting. The hospital is operational and the village has already become a shelter for 15,000 families fleeing the war. 400 of the most vulnerable people (pregnant women, women with young children and the elderly) have taken refuge in the sisters’ mission, receiving food and the most essential aid. That aid, however, is becoming more and more scarce by the hour.
The hospital is bursting at the seams. Staff are restoring their strength by sleeping on the floor between one treatment and the next. People can’t flee any further.
We need to keep the hospital functioning and respond quickly to a problem that is affecting the whole village. Water sources destroyed by warfare mean that the pipes are running empty. At peak hours the taps run dry. We have to react because a lack of water means another sanitary disaster.
Every day we see more children with malnutrition, malaria and bacterial diseases.
We urgently need to purchase:
- special, high-calorie food for children
- medicines (including quinine, for malaria)
- IVs and blood for transfusions
We also need to build new toilets to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. We have already set out to work!
Help us with even a small donation, by sharing this post or by posting on social media – some of our hospital’s smallest patients cannot wait. The situation is becoming more difficult by the hour!
