Imagine running away from home with little more than the clothes on your back and the few things you can carry. You are running for your life - forced to exit the comfort of your home, you leave your job, your school, your car, your possessions, and your memories - behind. This situation typifies the reality for thousands of internally displaced eastern Congolese who have fled even to neighboring countries to protect themselves from the war and violence ravaging their country for decades. In the moments immediately following the decision to leave and run empty-handed into the unknown, how do they do it? Below, discover some of the essential items that Congo Peace Academy will provide to displaced Congolese living in the camps around Goma. The goal is to focus on supplies that help the most vulnerable refugee families survive and cope after enormous losses. 

Tents

When families desperately flee ruthless fighting, they leave everything behind and need immediate help to find a place to live that protects them from the elements, rain, cold and hot sun. We need to provide emergency shelter for displaced people by setting up tents while at the same time looking for durable solutions that provide security and hope for the future. Living in a camp is not a sustainable or long-term solution, and this is something that residents of the Kanyaruchinya camp near Goma know from painful experiences. In this rainy season, refugees need shelter to protect them from malaria, cold, and death.

Food

We need to help displaced people meet their emergency food needs. Many are fleeing with little or no possessions and money. Without assistance, refugees struggle to access necessities, including nutritious food, to keep their families healthy and alive. Without food, the ability of displaced people to become productive and begin to rebuild their lives diminishes. We are organizing a campaign to distribute food items such as pasta, cooking oil, and milk powder to help them feed their families and focus on the future as they go through this challenging time. Help more displaced people get the food they need by donating today.

Cooking utensils and dishes

After fleeing their homes and leaving everything behind, even the most basic household tasks can seem impossible. Refugees and internally displaced people must wash, dress, house, and feed their families with the only supplies they managed to carry. This living condition is an incredible burden at a time when fear and uncertainty are already overwhelming. The cooking utensils and dishes help refugees rebuild their homes in the most basic ways and allow them to prepare safe and nutritious meals for their children. These tools also enable Congolese families to keep an essential part of their culture alive- cooking and gathering around food. Please click here to help displaced people meet their basic household needs.

Hygiene Items

Hygiene items are essential to the health and survival of families, as the facilities where they seek refuge are often rudimentary at best. Refugees often live in unsanitary overcrowded makeshift shelters without adequate water or sanitation facilities: tent camps, chicken coops, abandoned schools, buildings - anywhere they can find relative safety. These dire conditions have disastrous consequences for their health and morale. Without essential hygiene items to help them stay clean, displaced people are at greater risk of disease, malnutrition, and loss of confidence to face an uncertain future. Hygiene items such as soap, toothpaste, and razors can help refugees stay healthy and maintain their dignity. Please donate today.