Content Warning: The following includes violence and sexual assault.

The women and girls of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are caught in one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises — one marked by displacement, safety, health, and nutrition challenges.

Amid conflict, women do not stop giving birth. Midwives are continuing to deliver babies under extremely difficult conditions. Three women die every hour from pregnancy and childbirth complications. Women and girls are enduring rape, exploitation, and abuse in displacement camps, as they travel, and within their own communities. Preteen girls are among those most at risk, accounting for a third of reported cases of violence, which has increased by over 35%.

Needs are growing every day, but the resources are not. Please, make a lifesaving donation to deliver hope to women and girls living through violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We spoke with one 14-year-old girl who was receiving treatment at a UNFPA-supported hospital for a traumatic fistula, a condition caused by the several assaults she endured. She told us that despite her tremendous suffering, "I want to go back to school. I would like to become a nurse."

Her story reflects the experiences of thousands of the women and girls who endure tremendous suffering in the DRC, yet never give up hope they can return to normalcy.

“The situation remains serious, the needs are enormous. Rape cases have increased exponentially, and women and girls need support. We must increase investments, mobilize more resources, and support partners who, every day, ensure the continuity of vital services," said Alain Akpadji, the UNFPA Representative in the DRC.

In Goma, Shoko Arakaki and Lydia Zigomo talk with vulnerable women and violence survivors in a safe space supported by UNFPA.

“I came to see the situation with my own eyes, especially after the escalation of the conflict. I met women and girls who have gone through immense suffering: violence, rape, and so many other hardships. They told me their stories... and then they cried. Tears flowed everywhere in the safe space," Shoko Arakaki, Director of the UNFPA Humanitarian Division, shared.

Shoko Arakaki and Lydia Zigomo visit survivors in Goma, including a 14-year-old girl who was a victim of sexual violence and underwent surgery to repair a fistula.

Supporters like you have helped distribute more than 7,000 Dignity Kits in the DRC this year. We’ve opened six new safe spaces and six reception centers offering a place for listening, relief, and rebuilding lives. But there is a need for so much more care — which you can provide.

Dignity is not a luxury — it is a fundamental and urgent right. Please make a gift to restore a sense of security and dignity to women and girls in the DRC and across the globe?

Without access to sexual and reproductive health and violence recovery care, women and girls will die — and women and girls in the DRC need us more than ever. 

Thank you.

— USA for UNFPA