heks

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is as big as western Europe. As one of the poorest countries in Africa, it is a primary-focus country for HEKS. The Congo is well down the scale in all the poverty statistics. In the UNO “Human Development Index” the country in the heart of Africa is ranked 176th out of 182. The average life expectancy for Congolese men and women is 47 years.

In the last ten years the history of the Congo has been punctuated by armed conflicts and political instability. The eastern provinces of North and South Kivu have been the hardest hit, with hostilities between various armed rebel militia groups and the Congolese army leading to serious human rights abuses in the villages, where the atrocities include the assassination of villagers, the raping of girls and women, the compulsory recruitment of children, and the pillaging and destruction of property. North Kivu is still under enormous strain owing to the large number of refugees fleeing from Rwanda and, first and foremost, due to its own internally displaced people. The infrastructure is in a desolate state given the persistency of the conflicts over the years.

The sorely afflicted people now hope that the agreement signed between the rebel groups and the Congolese government in January 2008 will bring the long-awaited and longed-for peace.

Aims, points of focus, initiatives:

The aid programme for the Congo has a time frame of 2008 to 2011 and puts the focus on development cooperation in the province of North Kivu. HEKS is concentrating on the development of rural communities and supporting farmers’ unions with a view to members attaining a significant improvement in their livelihoods. The aim is to help people to help themselves and equip them to live an independent life in dignity. Three projects are being run in pursuit of this aim with an emphasis on safeguarding the provision of food, democratisation, promoting peace, strengthening civil society, literacy and vocational training.