Vaccination of babies in the health center Kibati, Goma

    Social situation People living in extreme poverty

    Poverty, hunger and a lack of basic services are a daily reality for millions of people. The education and health systems are very poor. The only reason that a basic level of health care and education is available in many parts of the country is because of the work done by church organisations, NGOs and international development agencies. The impacts on children, who are unable to get access to education or adequate services, are particularly dramatic.

    The social situation is alarming: according to the World Food Programme, almost half the population is living in extreme poverty. One person in every three is undernourished, one child out of thirteen dies before reaching the age of five. The Global Hunger Index for 2024 calls the situation “serious”. According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 21 million people were dependent on humanitarian assistance at the start of 2025 – a number that is continuing to rise due to the escalating conflicts in the East. Reliable data is hard to come by.

    The education system is particularly badly affected. Since fighting erupted again in North and South Kivu in 2022, some 2,500 schools have been forced to close their doors, leaving almost 800,000 children without access to education.

    The health system is also under enormous pressure.

    As at: 26/11/2025