Vera Schaffer
Program Manager DR Congo
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DR Congo
Mission 21 has been involved in projects in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo for more than 20 years. The focus of the project work is on the Kwango region, a "region almost forgotten by the state", as the local population describes it.
This region south of Kinshasa is characterized by extreme poverty and almost non-existent infrastructure. There is a lack of the most important basic necessities of life, food, clean drinking water, hygiene products and, in particular, medical supplies and medicines. In recent years, the living situation of the local population has developed into a humanitarian emergency: The population is struggling with massive malnutrition, poor health and high levels of poverty.
Climate change and precarious security situation
As a result of climate change, the rainy and dry seasons have become more extreme. As a result, there is either no rain or the downpours are so heavy that erosion and flooding have become commonplace. Agriculture as well as transportation and market opportunities in the Kwango have become so challenging that it is impossible to provide for the population of around 2.6 million people.
A conflict in the north of Kwango, which has escalated since 2022, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and the security situation is increasingly precarious. As a result of this conflict, the transportation of goods from Kinshasa to the region has become more difficult and the farms that used to produce in this part of Kwango have had to close, which is now having an additional impact on the massive malnutrition of the local population.
Commitment to the local population
Mission 21 is committed to helping the local population and fighting extreme poverty in Kwango. The aim is to achieve a nexus approach between humanitarian aid and development cooperation. Both emergency aid and the distribution of food and medicine as well as longer-term work such as education and awareness-raising are urgently needed. Local experts and the civilian population are working together in a highly networked way to respond to the humanitarian emergency.
Mission 21 advises the project organizations on implementation with other local implementation partners and conducts advocacy so that the remote Kwango region is also taken into account by internationally active organizations in the DR Congo.
