LUMUMBA VILLAGE: DRC’S SANCTUARY FOR CHILDREN

Violence against children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached unprecedented levels. According to the UN, there are few (if any) worse places to be a child. The country has the world’s highest number of verified grave violations against children in armed conflict.

More than 26.4-million people in DRC are in need of humanitarian assistance, that’s about one in every four people - including some 14.2-million children. Conflict has been raging in parts of the country for nearly three decades, with children killed, sexually assaulted, abducted and forcibly recruited for use by armed groups.

Natural disaster has compounded the suffering for people in the east of the country. In 2021, Mount Nyiragongo - north of the regional capital Goma - erupted, displacing nearly half a million and killing 50. Some 2,000 children were separated from their parents amid the chaos.

A project called ‘I Heart Africa’ has tried to provide a sanctuary for some of those impacted by the disaster. The group, which puts African concerns first, has built a small community called Lumumba Village. Our man Erick Gavala paid a visit to learn more.