For every news story about conflict, hunger or displacement, there are many more emergencies that rarely make the headlines, and the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of them.
Conflict, climate change, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters have caused an overlapping crisis in DRC over the last few decades. The situation has deteriorated further in recent years amid escalating conflict and drastic cuts to funding globally.
An estimated 21.2 million people in DRC will require humanitarian assistance this year, according to the United Nations, and over seven million have been displaced.
Alliance2015 members Concern Worldwide and Acted are on the ground supporting affected communities and are part of the Enabling Affected Communities to Survive and Thrive (EAST) consortium, alongside Première Urgence Internationale, Danish Refugee Council and Congo Handicap in DRC.
EAST is implementing the ‘Strengthening the resilience and protection of vulnerable populations living in conflict-affected areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo‘ programme, a £28 million GBP project that is funded by the UK Government.
The programme has been implemented across four provinces in Eastern DRC since December 2023 and is comprised of four main components: Health/Nutrition, Protection, Livelihood and Inclusion.
Franck Amahowe, EAST Consortium Director, spoke about some of the challenges that the programme has faced.
He said: “The security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has significantly deteriorated since 2024, marked by the resurgence and escalation of the conflict. This has resulted in intensified clashes, mass displacement, and severe constraints on humanitarian access. Conflict dynamics remain highly volatile, and forced displacement continues to grow in all provinces where the EAST programme is implemented.
“But despite the precarious situation communities are facing, people are resilient and some strides have been made towards recovery, with support from Concern and the UK government.
“Among the achievements, 4,304 people received support to start their own business between April 2025 and March 2026; 153 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) were established in 2025 alone; and another 1,540 people have successfully completed literacy courses.
“The health and nutrition sector also recorded significant progress since the start of the project, and particularly between April 2025 and March 2026, reflected in record attendance at health facilities and an increase across all consultation indicators.
“This includes 86,466 children under five who received free consultations; 17,899 pregnant women who attended their first antenatal care visit and there were 15,893 births in these health centres, assisted by qualified health personnel.”
One of the people who has received support from EAST is Alice, a mother-of-five who was forced to flee her home repeatedly due to conflict.
She recalls: “Life was very hard in the displacement settlement. Finding food was a big problem.”
Alice offered to sew clothes in a neighbour’s shop to earn some money. Prior to fleeing, she had trained as a seamstress. Using a sewing machine again rekindled her desire to start up her own business.
Alice took out a loan from a village savings and loan association (VSLA) supported by Concern, to cover the costs of fabric and start making dresses.
Now, Alice has expanded her shop, and is passing on her skills to other women in the community.
She said: “My shop has been open for a year. I have been able to buy five sewing machines and have trained six people. There is work and a business from selling the fabrics that I purchase. I can make five dresses in a day.”
Despite the unimaginable circumstances she has endured, Alice now predicts that she will become “a boss lady”.
