Women for Women International Helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives.
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Taking A Stand Against Violence: The Women of DR Congo

Why do we work in DR Congo?

Imagine that you never feel safe, not even in your own home.

You are perpetually at risk of violence, rape, theft, famine and disease.

You, or someone close to you, has been the innocent victim of an endless, senseless and brutal war.

This is today's DR Congo.

Although a peace accord was signed in 2003 to end a devastating civil war, violence still rages—and women bear the brunt. With your help, Women for Women International in DR Congo is working with women to rebuild their lives.

Download the DR Congo PDF to learn more

What you help us do in Congo

Our programs in DR Congo include direct financial aid, rights awareness classes, job-skills training and emotional support. The one-year program was developed for DR Congo’s special challenges and demands, and includes vocational training that helps women earn an income and support themselves, through:

Tie-dyeing – because tie-dyed fabrics are very popular and can be sold in both local and global markets
Ceramics production – to give women the skills they need to create practical household items for sale in local markets
Bread-making – for program participants to learn the basics of baking and earning an income from the sale of baked goods

Other courses include:

  • Agriculture
  • Beauty care
  • Culinary arts
  • Soap-making
  • Retail sales
  • Tailoring

Our Success

Women for Women International has operated in DR Congo since 2004. We are privileged to have Christine Karumba as our Country Director, overseeing programs that have helped more than 39,000 women.

Of Women for Women International-DR Congo program participants and graduates:

  • 88% report improvements in both physical and mental health
  • 83% report improvements in their economic situation
  • 77% are using skills from job-skills training to earn an income
  • 85% are actively participating in key household decisions
  • 98% of participants leave the program with knowledge of their legal rights
  • 90% of women train and mentor other women in their communities

Country Facts

45,000 people in DR Congo are expected to die each month – some from military action; most from lack of safe access to food, clean water and medical treatment.

50% of all deaths in DR Congo are children under the age of five.

5.4 million people in DR Congo have died since the start of the war.

200,000 Congolese women are rape survivors.

76% of DR Congo citizens have been personally affected by the war, or suffered its wider consequence.

More than 5.2 million children in DR Congo receive no education.

Meet Azada

Read One Woman's Story of Survival

You can make a difference

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News

Women for Women International in DR Congo
  • DR Congo: Stronger Women, Stronger Nations Report
  • Preparing Men to Advocate for Women’s Rights
  • Critical Issues: Global Hotspots, DR Congo
DR Congo in the News
  • UN Scrambles to Better Protect Civilians in Wake of Mass Rape
  • Hundreds were Raped on Congo—Angola Border
  • Peacekeepers Cite Delay in Learning of Mass Rape in the DRC
  • DRC Rape Victims Opt for Extrajudicial Settlements

Meet Lucienne

Lucienne, a victim of rape in the DR Congo, is a single mother of three daughters. Lucienne's husband was away when men entered her home in December 2006.

Lucienne describes the horror that happened next: "When we got to the bush, they pulled me down to rape me in front of my brother...As he hid his face in shame, they struck him with a gun and pulled him away to kill him."

Lucienne spent three-and-a-half months as a sex slave, becoming pregnant with a child.

Upon return to her village, Lucienne's husband shunned her from the community. Lucienne needed help, and she came to Women for Women International. Lucienne reflects that, "Joining the program has been a salvation...my life has changed and my children are healthy. I recovered confidence through the [Women for Women International] training."

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Women for Women International supports women in war-torn regions with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance so they can rebuild their lives.

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US Office

4455 Connecticut Ave NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20008
T. 202.737.7705
F. 202.737.7709

US Email
UK Office

32 - 36 Loman Street
London SE1 0EH UK
T. 020.7922.7765
F. 020.7922.7706

UK Email

Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize Recipient

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Women for Women International is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization.

EIN/Tax ID # 52-183-8756

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