Drc crisis: children need urgent support

Children are being caught up in heavy fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo amid the worst escalation of violence in the country in more than a decade. Renewed clashes between armed groups and government forces have left children killed, injured and forced to flee for their lives. As the fighting continues, children and families currently have no safe option to escape to or ways to access much-needed humanitarian assistance. As always, they are bearing the greatest brunt of a conflict they play no part in. 

In recent weeks, we have seen a surge of unaccompanied children among the 35,000 refugees, mostly women and children, fleeing the DRC to Burundi in the largest influx in 25 years. These children face heightened risks of abduction, trafficking, and exploitation, as well as physical and sexual violence. Without parental protection, unaccompanied children are more vulnerable to abuse and are the least likely to report it to authorities.

The ongoing insecurity is also leaving families and children facing extreme hunger and malnutrition, without the basics to survive. Nearly 4.5 million children are facing or expected to face acute malnutrition by June.

Gervienne* is one of those children. At just 15 months old, she fell critically ill after her family had to flee the violence. Severe malnutrition left her weak, with vomiting, diarrhoea, and a dangerously high fever. Her mother, Charly*, carried her to the nearest hospital, desperate to save her life. 

“When they are hungry, some start crying, others go to sleep, and others still stay quiet with their hands on their cheeks, not knowing what else to do”, says Charly, a mother of seven, abut Gervienne and her other children.

Donate to our Children's Emergency Fund to help us respond quickly to children impacted by the violent conflict in the DRC and other crises around the world.

*Names changed to protect their identity

Save the Children’s Emergency Fund is key to unlocking the critical support that children need in times of crisis like this. It helps us prepare better, respond faster, and protect longer. In times of crisis, and in the world's toughest places, we stand side by side with children.

The situation in DRC is desperate, and we need urgent global action, now.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with children and families suffering gunshot wounds and other injuries. There is also concern this increase in violence could trigger the spread of deadly diseases in overcrowded displacement camps in a country already suffering cases of mpox, measles, cholera and ebola.

This environment of chaos and insecurity is also putting children at risk of recruitment by armed forces, child labour, abductions, and sexual violence.  

As a result, the DRC is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian and food insecurity disasters, and has become the second largest internally displaced people’s crisis globally.

Gervienne was suffering from malnutrition after her family had to flee their home due to war.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, she received life-saving treatment. The support provided high-nutrient peanut paste, covered her hospital expenses, and ensured her family had transportation to and from the hospital. Today, she is on the path to recovery.

But far too many children like Gervienne are still fighting for their lives in 2025. Hunger, displacement, and conflict are stealing their health, safety, and future.

When an emergency strikes, we support millions of families and children like Gervienne. But we need your help to continue being there. A gift of $120 today could provide a twelve-week supply of high-nutrient peanut paste to treat a child with severe acute malnutrition - just like what saved Gervienne. Donate now.

Save the Children started working in the DRC in 1994. We are currently working with 13 local partners, as well as international partners and government authorities, to deliver critical health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection and education support to children and their families.

We’re operational in all three of the eastern provinces worst impacted by violence – North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. While much of our work continues across these provinces, we have paused all operations in Goma to protect the safety and well-being of our staff. 

While all activities outside Goma are currently ongoing, Goma serves as a critical logistical and co-ordination hub for our operations across the country. Save the Children’s office in Goma was hit by an explosion, and the house of a Save the Children employee was struck with bullets. While thankfully no staff were injured in these attacks, our staff along with other members of the community remain at huge risk. We’re urgently calling for calm and a definitive end to fighting to ensure the safety of our staff as well as the communities they serve.

As soon as it is safe to do so, we stand ready to scale up our response to support the escalating needs of children and their families in Goma. We’re planning to scale up our work to respond to children’s health and nutrition needs and support families to access essential water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to help curb the spread of illnesses and disease.

In other part of the DRC we continue our life-saving work. We’re providing safe drinking water, treating sick children suffering from pneumonia, malaria, diarrhoea, and other illnesses, distributing food and, treating and screening children for malnutrition. Our community-led approach in the country has also allowed us to treat cases of malnutrition locally before life-threatening complications develop.

We’re providing child protection services, helping children access education and supporting survivors of gender-based violence and children formally associated with armed groups.

We have also been helping build communities’ resilience to food insecurity by encouraging sustainable farming and supporting farming families who have been uprooted from their homes to restart agricultural income-generating activities in their areas of displacement.

To continue our work and reach even more children in need, we need your help:

• Your $80 gift could provide warm, cozy blankets for around 20 children affected by conflict.
• Your $100 gift could help us reunite a child separated from their family amid the conflict in the DRC and provide them with temporary care in a foster family while we trace their family.
• Your $120 gift could buy twelve weeks worth of fortified peanut paste to treat a child with malnutrition.
• Your $500 gift could provide critical care for five children suffering from pneumonia.

Together, we can provide what families can’t save. Donate now.