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Creating Leaders. Leading Change.
 

A History of Suffering.

Cycles of oppression set in motion centuries ago have ravaged generation after generation of Congolese people. The war, genocide, exploitation and tribal clashes represent humanity at its worst. 

Today, Congo suffers at the center of a new conflict: its uniquely rich mineral deposits, coveted by manufacturers of cell phones, video games and other high-demand electronics, generate wealth that fails to reach the impoverished Congolese people. 

Despite this climate of torture and violence, lack of leadership, and so many lives needlessly lost, Congo’s people remain resilient and strong. Born into a world of darkness, they are capable to change the trajectory of their history. Restoring light to the Congolese people can not only lift the nation, but serve as a beacon of inspiration to the world. 

By awakening this light within its people, Africa New Day is helping Congo transform itself one Congolese at a time. 

 
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Early Civilization
(1200-1500)

A prosperous time with a highly organized monarchy,
flourishing agriculture and trade supporting a US-sized region in Africa.

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Transatlantic Slave Trade
(1500-1800)

In 300 years, more than 5 million Congolese are enslaved and
sent overseas, disbanding the potent empire.

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King Leopold II
(1883-1908)

Forced labor enriches Belgium’s King Leopold II, who exploits Congo for
its valuable rubber and minerals, maiming and killing the laborers.

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Colonization
(1908-1960)

International outcry compels Leopold to relinquish Congo
into a Belgian colony, yet inhumane practices continue.

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Independence
(1960-1996)

Riots demand independence from colonial rule. Mobutu Sese Seko leaves Congo in massive debt.
National elections lead to political unrest.

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Wars
(1996-2003)

The Second Congo War begins with a rebellion led by ethnic Tutsi minority forces in the eastern DRC. Rwandan support fuels a march westward, while Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and others support Kabila’s forces.

Peace is achieved in 2003, but the war’s deadly legacy continues to be felt in continuing ethnic violence, instability, authoritarian leadership, and extreme poverty — all of which define Congo history to this day. Estimates for the number of dead during the war and aftermath range between 1 and 5 million people.

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The Kasai Conflict
(2012-2016)

On top of continuing violence and instability driven by armed groups in DRC’s east, a conflict has
been exploding in the Kasai region, to the south of the country since August, 2016.
The result is DRC’s latest large-scale humanitarian crisis.

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Political instability and a new leader
(2016-2019)

Political tensions have escalated since President Joseph Kabila’s 11-year term ended in 2016. The son of the former president Laurent Kabila, he was the first to be democratically elected since 1960. Amid mounting pressure, growing opposition, and increasingly violent protests, Kabila stepped down in January 2019 and was succeeded by Félix Tshisekedi (the son of three-time Prime Minister of Zaire leader Étienne Tshisekedi). 

 
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Concern in the DRC

Concern has been active in the DRC for over a quarter of a century, providing both emergency assistance and development support. Some of our key areas of focus include: 

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Working with partners, the DRC WASH Consortium has delivered sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene for more than 640,000 people living in rural areas of the DRC. 

Emergency Response

Responding quickly and efficiently to emergencies is a core focus in DRC. Most recently, we have deployed teams to respond to the emergency displacement situation in Beni and we are responding to a displacement crisis in Kasai. In addition, we have escalated our response to the DRC Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, which has become the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. 

Gender Equality

The situation for gender equality in DRC continues to be one of the worst in the world. To address gender inequality, we have increased our gender-specific programming and incorporated gender role surveys into all of our programme assessments. As an employer in DRC, we have made significant improvements in the recruitment of women in positions through internship programmes, as well as targeted recruitment policies.

Health and Nutrition

We work in partnership with organizations such as Welthungerhilfe to tackle malnutrition in DRC. We seek to integrate malnutrition activities into our existing programs, particularly for our WASH and Livelihoods activities which are being implemented in the Tanganyika and Lomami areas.