Democratic Republic of the Congo - Overview 

Capital: Kinshasa
Area: 2,345,410 km²
Population: 60.1 million (July 2005)
Ethnic groups: Bantu, Sudanic, Nilotic, pygmies, Hamitic
Official language(s): French
Religion(s): Christian, Muslim, Jewish, animist beliefs, Kimbanguism
Currency: 1 Congolese franc = 100 centimes

SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country

Following a revolt, which left the country socially and politically weakened, SOS-Kinderdorf International started its work in Zaire, today known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1987. The same year a co-operation agreement was signed between the government of the Congo and SOS-Kinderdorf International. In 1989, the first children were able to move into their SOS Children's Village in Bukavu, in the east of the country, on the shores of Lake Kivu.

The SOS Kindergarten and SOS Hermann Gmeiner School attached to the SOS Children's Village are important educational features and are open to children from the neighbourhood as well as to SOS Children's Village children. The first SOS Youth Facility went into operation in Bukavu in 1994. Here, the youths who have outgrown the SOS Children's Village are cared for and assisted on their path to independence. The same year, two months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war in neighbouring Rwanda, the children from SOS Children's Village Gikongoro there had to leave their homes temporarily. They found shelter in SOS Children's Village Bukavu.

In 1996, bitter fighting broke out in the Congo once more. During this time, SOS Children's Village Bukavu was briefly occupied by the armed forces. Shortly thereafter, a temporary emergency clinic was set up for the local population. Because of continuing need, it has now become a permanent fixture.

Because of the unrest in the South Kivu region, SOS Children's Villages set up in 1997 an Emergency SOS Children's Village in Uvira, 130 km south from Bukavu, on the north boarder of the Tanganyika Sea with a kindergarten and a school for 250 children. These are children who lost their parents in the civil war.

After only a small part of these children from the Emergency SOS Children’s Village could be reunited with their families and the demands for admission of children continued to increase tremendously, it was decided to build a permanent facility. At the end of August 2006 the children could enter their new home in Uvira.

Starting in 2004, SOS Children's Villages in the Democratic Republic Congo, in collaboration with other NGOs, took various steps to assist the needy population, especially persons affected by HIV/Aids, e.g. assistance with medical drugs, school fees and creation of self-help projects.

At present there are two SOS Children’s Villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, two SOS Youth Facilities, two SOS Kindergartens, two SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, two SOS Medical Centres and two SOS Social Centres.

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