DRC Crisis Response
this is our rapid response fund
Crisis in DRC: What you need to know
For more than three decades, the eastern DR Congo - a country the size of Western Europe - has endured relentless conflict. Since January 2025, the conflict between government forces and armed groups has severely escalated, with devastating consequences for children and families.
Intensifying hostilities have forced over 500,000 people to flee dismantled displacement camps across eastern DRC in search of safety in the region's main cities, Goma and Bukavu. But instead of refuge, they have found themselves displaced once again. With armed groups taking control of Goma and Bukavu in recent weeks, children are at extreme risk—many are unaccompanied and vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, trafficking, exploitation, and abuse.
At the same time, the recent pause in USAID funding is already having an immediate and devastating impact on available assistance, making it even harder for families to access essential services. With DRC among the 10 most affected countries by the US aid suspension, this funding gap risks deepening the crisis for those in urgent need.
Schools in Goma and areas across the region affected by the fighting have been forced to close, leaving thousands of children without access to learning and protection. While some schools have been mandated to reopen, many remain overcrowded shelters for newly displaced families, with damaged infrastructure and unsanitary conditions making education nearly impossible. For many children, school is no longer an option—some are begging in the streets to survive, while girls face an increased risk of gender-based violence.
Children and their families must never be a target. Along with the international community, we continue to call for an end to the violence and for the protection of civilians.
Street Child is proud to work with a strong network of Congolese partners, who remain steadfastly in place and ready to respond across North and South Kivu.
Our immediate priorities are to:
Create four child-friendly spaces within primary schools in Goma - safe places where children can play, reconnect with friends, and regain a sense of normality.
Reunite children with their families, or ensure they receive care and a safe space to live when reunification isn’t possible.
Deliver dignity kits, including menstrual hygiene products for young girls.
Support children’s return to education, helping schools reopen when it is safe to do so and providing school kits so children can get back to learning.
We have a strong track record in the region and are well positioned to respond, having already delivered transformative change for vulnerable children and communities in North and South Kivu:
Transforming education & protection – EU-funded programmes in North and South Kivu have improved education access, strengthened governance, empowered caregivers, and fostered peace dialogues—impacting 102,000+ children.
Providing psychosocial support – Effective child-friendly spaces in IDP camps have delivered daily mental health support to 20,000+ children, including adolescent girls recovering from trauma.
Building economic resilience – 195 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) have helped 4,875 parents (70% women) sustainably support their children’s education.
Rapid crisis response – Among the first to respond to the Mai-Ndombe crisis in western DRC.
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