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Congo (DRC) Why children in the Congo need your help
A history of warfare has had a devastating impact on the lives of
children, their families and communities in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. One in five children dies before their fifth birthday, and a third of children are malnourished. Due to the war, over four million children have been orphaned, and school enrolments are low. Safe water and sanitation is available to only a minority of the population. Country factsCongo (DRC), formerly Zaire, has been beset by civil upheaval since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. Independence leader Patrice Lumumba was killed when Joseph Mobutu seized power in a military coup, resulting in 32 years of dictatorship. Mobutu was eventually toppled by Laurent Kabila, who renamed the country Congo (DRC). The country then descended into further warfare, with Rwanda and Uganda leading an insurrection. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan and Zimbabwe joined to support Kabila. A ceasefire was signed in 1999, with Kabila then assassinated two years later. His son Joseph was elected as president of in 2006.
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