Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo face numerous threats as a result of recent fighting. Amid talks of ceasefire, World Vision continues responding to physical and emotional needs.

February 2009

By Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S., and Anna Ridout, World Vision DRC

Eastern Congo is a difficult place to be a child. It’s a land rife with conflict, and its youngest and most vulnerable residents are far from immune to the effects of the fighting. Instead, they are extremely susceptible to the many threats brought by war, including malnutrition, disease, and perhaps most frightening of all, displacement — being driven from home, and sometimes, separated from family.

Driven from home

“I don’t know if my parents are alive or dead,” says 8-year-old Byamungau Sembegwa, who was forced to flee his home and is now living in a World Vision-assisted refugee camp on the country’s eastern border.

Since war broke out between the government and rebel forces in 1997, fighting has forced an estimated 4.1 million people to flee their homes. Despite a peace deal made in 2003, war has continued to characterize the region. When the conflict intensified in October 2008, another 250,000 people found themselves displaced.

“I was farming with my cousins in the field,” says Byamungau, recalling the day when armed militia rampaged his village. “When we returned home, we found everyone had gone. People told us to run. We heard gunshots and heard they were killing people,” he continues.

Byamungau, his uncles, and his cousins fled through the forests and found their way to the refugee camp, where some 3,000 families now live in crowded banana leaf huts. As food is scarce, most of these families depend entirely on the aid they receive from organizations like World Vision.

Help for survival

In the days following the escalated violence, World Vision worked to distribute basic necessities to some 25,000 families. And as the need grows, we are continuing to do all we can to assist those whose lives have been turned upside-down. Even amid recent talks of ceasefire, displaced children and families remain extremely vulnerable.

Caught in the continuing chaos, children like Byamungau are now faced with worries about daily survival. Byamungau has taken on a roofing job in order to raise funds for basic necessities — an action no 8-year-old child should have to take — yet he earns less than a dollar for three days of work.

Thankfully, World Vision’s assistance is helping Byamungau survive and assuring him that he is not alone. He recently received soap, blankets, household items, and plastic sheeting that can be used to make a temporary shelter. These simple items will help protect Byamungau from preventable diseases, which are thriving in the crowded displacement camps. World Vision is also providing medical assistance to health centers, where the numbers of children suffering from illnesses such as respiratory infections has seen dramatic increases.

Threatening circumstances

Like Byamungau, many children in eastern Congo have been torn from their homes and separated from their parents, making them particularly vulnerable. A recent joint survey by World Vision, Oxfam, Save the Children, Action Aid, and Merlin found that more than half of the people displaced by the latest fighting do not know where their family members are.

Without proper care and protection, displaced children face numerous threats in addition to diseases. In one area near the center of the conflict, it is estimated that malnutrition rates have increased ten-fold since the fighting intensified. World Vision caretakers distributed therapeutic food and will continue to provide care to children who are malnourished.

But children in eastern Congo need more than food, shelter, and health care; they also need protection and emotional support. In the chaos surrounding the fighting, an increasing number of girls under the age of 18 have been raped, and many children have been kidnapped by rebels and forced to join the army.

Comfort and hope

World Vision’s Child-Friendly Spaces — safe places for children to play, learn, and receive emotional support — are providing care and comfort to children as they recover from these shocking atrocities. For those who have been separated from their families, just knowing someone cares can bring hope.

World Vision’s presence in Byamungau’s camp has given him a reason to believe that everything will be okay. Despite his seemingly bleak situation, he anticipates a positive future. “I don’t know when I will go home, but one day I will marry and have a farm,” says Byamungau.

World Vision continues to advocate for peace in eastern Congo, confident that children like Byamungau will someday be able to realize their dreams. Suzanne, a relief worker in the Goma region, is hopeful that change will come. “But I fully believe that if there is peace, we can close the center. People will be able to go home, farm their land, and look after their families,” she says.