Congo in 2010: Gratifying success as a war-torn country struggles to turn the corner

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, newly trained educators are teaching classrooms of war-scarred children to understand their country’s tortured history: it is their young minds, after all, that will one day determine whether Congo’s “war without end” will finally yield to peace.

Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

In past updates, I have described the Democratic Republic of Congo as the site of the world’s largest civil war, a conflict that has led to the death of more than five million people.  This year, with the caveat that a recent polio outbreak will bear close watching, I am able to tell a more positive story about Congo, as the International Rescue Committee’s long-term engagement with its people begins to produce important and far-reaching results.
 
The IRC is the largest humanitarian organization in Congo, and our work there represents our single largest country commitment.  A core part of our work is a program called “Community-Driven Reconstruction,” which to date has benefited more than 2 million citizens and built bridges, schools, clinics, irrigation systems, and other infrastructure in 1,400 war-torn villages.  This work will continue in 2011, further moving Congo away from its devastating history of war and into a future of greater stability and livelihood.
 

How to Help

Become a Rescue Partner today: The IRC depends on monthly donors — our Rescue Partners — for the ongoing support we count on to help us rescue lives during emergencies as well as continue our long-term efforts to rebuild war and disaster zones all over the world.

90 cents of every dollar the IRC spends goes to programs and services that directly benefit people who are struggling to survive in the wake of conflict, persecution, violence, or natural disaster.