Dear John,

This weekend, people living in the villages surrounding Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo woke up to a nightmare. The volcano - which is among the world's most active and dangerous - was erupting and threatened to wipe out everything in its path towards the city of Goma.

Tens of thousands fled their homes by foot on Saturday night, carrying mattresses and other belongings when the deadly lava flowed down the slopes towards Goma, burning entire villages on its way. Many crossed into Rwanda to seek safety and are now returning to see what remains of their homes and belongings. Thousands are feared to be left homeless and are in urgent need of your help.

More than 450,000 people were already displaced by brutal violence in northeast DRC this year. This latest crisis is only adding more suffering to an already disastrous situation.   

UNHCR is in Goma providing lifesaving care and protection to families in need. Our teams are right now assessing the most urgent needs and preparing to provide shelter and relief items to those most affected. But more lives are at risk if families are not helped as quickly as possible.

This disaster is not over yet, earthquakes and poisonous volcanic gasses continue to be reported and another eruption might happen. We urgently need funds to help people who don’t have a home to return to, or risk being further displaced.

Please give what you can.

Thank you.

Astrid van Genderen Stort
UNHCR Head of Emergencies and Communications, PSP
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency