Whole families experiencing hunger daily

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are working to provide support for people living in the province of North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo*, which is on the brink of humanitarian collapse. With more than 21.2 million people in need of assistance in the country and 7 million internally displaced, the conflict is devastating lives, communities, and futures.

Salesians report that in the villages adjacent to Goma and the Don Bosco Ngangi Center, suffering can be read on the faces of those who have survived. Whole families, returning to their destroyed land after months in the refugee camps, face daily hunger. They gather wild vegetables, eat once a day, and sleep on the ground.

According to data collected by the Salesian International Volunteer for Development (VIS), 70% of families consume less than two meals a day and for many, food stocks do not exceed five days. Soaring prices, up to 35% in Goma and Bukavu, have excluded two out of three families from local markets.

Housing is also a crisis within a crisis with more than half of the families living in precarious and overcrowded conditions including the 84% who do not have mattresses or blankets and 75% who do not have access to basic products for their personal hygiene.

Children have been dramatically affected with their schools destroyed. As a result, some youth think of joining armed groups or turning to street trading. “I don’t see my future in school. I would like to learn a trade and help my family,” said a young displaced person.

Salesians with the Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation in Milan, Italy, are living alongside the affected communities. Their goal is to alleviate suffering, rebuild hope and preserve human dignity. A Salesian noted, “There is a need to for food aid, to support local livelihoods, such as agriculture and trade, and to protect women and children, the first victims of this tragedy. North and South Kivu are asking for solidarity during this challenging time.”

Salesian missionaries have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 100 years, ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten. Salesian primary and secondary schools and programs lay the foundation for early learning, while Salesian trade, vocational and agricultural programs offer many youth the opportunity for a stable and productive future.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Democratic Republic of Congo – Millions of lives threatened by hunger and displacement. Crisis worsens, solidarity urgently needed

Salesian Missions – Democratic Republic of the Congo

UNHCR – Democratic Republic of the Congo

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.