ActionAid began working in the DRC in 1996 with our first emergency response in the country providing relief and assistance to Rwandan refugee populations. We have now established a long term programme working with many local partner organisations.

In 2008, ActionAid launched an emergency appeal to help a quarter of a million people who fled fighting in the east of the country.

Child sponsorship in the DRC

Zakayo was born deaf. He is a pupil at the specialist Ephata school in Goma, which is supported by ActionAid sponsorships. It is the only school for deaf children in North Kivu, a province twice the size of Belgium.

“It will make all the difference,” says John Gakuru, the head of the school’s primary section. “Our children aren’t stupid. They know that no other schools are made of planks. Our dilapidated buildings reinforce their sense that they are worth less than others. The new building, which will hopefully be finished by next Christmas, will give them a sense of pride.”

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Security and Women's Rights in the DRC

Sexual violence against women has been illegal in the DRC since 2006 - a major breakthrough in a country where millions of women have been raped and abused during years of conflict. But how do you enforce this in a country where the police and army are often the biggest perpetrators of the crime?

ActionAid's groundbreaking approach has been to work in close partnership with the police and military. Through training workshops with these groups we have promoted the effective dissemination of the new law and helped key people find ways to enforce it.

How you can help

When you sponsor a child in the DRC, you'll be providing the resources for real, long-term change. You'll get two letters a year from the child you sponsor, and updates from the country programme to tell you how the money you are spending is changing the community your child lives in.

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