We work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly the Belgian Congo, also called Zaire during 1965-1996).  In order to distinguish the country from the nearby Republic of Congo, it is often referred to as DR Congo, DROC, DRC, RDC, or Congo-Kinshasa (after the capital city of Kinshasa). 

DRC is located in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline.  It is the third largest country by area in Africa.  With an estimated population of 68 million, it is the nineteenth most populous country in the world and fourth most populous country in Africa.  It is the most populous country where French is an official language.

General Statistics:

• Population: 68.6 million (CIA Factbook 2009)
• Orphaned or Homeless Children: Over 5 million estimated (USAID 2009)
• Per capita GDP: US $195 (World Bank 2008; 191^st on list of 192 countries)
• Language: French is the official language of the country.  It is meant to be an ethnically neutral language to ease communication between different ethnic groups.  There are an estimated 242 African languages spoken in DRC.  Of these, only four have the status of regional or international languages: Swahili, Kikongo, Lingala and Tshiluba.

Recent History:

The outlook for the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a nation endowed with vast natural resource wealth – diminished drastically since the mid-1980s.  Two conflicts (the First and Second Congo Wars, sometimes jointly called the African World War), have resulted in the deaths of an estimated 5.4 million people from war, famine, and disease, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II.

The war intensified existing problems in DRC’s governmental organization, such as an uncertain legal framework, widespread corruption, inflation, and lack of openness in economic policy and financial operations. 

Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, and the stabilization of DRC’s elected government, fighting continues in the east of the country.  Many independently-organized  rebel groups use guerilla tactics against the population.  The prevalence of rape and sexual violence is the worst in the world.  Children are stolen from families; the boys are forced to serve as soldiers while the girls are used as sex slaves. 

Although the size of the conflict and the horrors inflicted upon the population of DRC are unmatched in the modern world, the war and it consequences have been poorly-reported in western media.