By Channie Cheung | Member of Overseas Team
In the conflict-torn region of South Kivu, DR Congo, fetching water is a life-threatening task for women and girls. As they walk long distances to find water, they face a staggering risk of sexual violence. We are installing spring-fed water points in the heart of these communities to provide safe, clean water, preventing both deadly waterborne diseases and the threat of assault. Your support provides more than just water; it provides safety and dignity.
The Hidden Danger in a Jerry Can
Imagine being a young girl in Kalonge, South Kivu. To provide for your family, you must wake up before dawn to fetch water. But in this region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), water isn't just scarce—the journey to find it is a nightmare. As conflict intensifies, these long treks through isolated areas have become hunting grounds for armed groups.
Since the escalation of violence earlier this year, over 10,000 women and girls in eastern DRC have become victims of sexual violence in just a matter of months. For many, a simple trip to a distant stream results in a life-altering trauma.
A Crisis of Health and Safety Kalonge is a land of beautiful greenery, yet its people are suffering. Due to the lack of infrastructure and the pollution from local small-scale mining, families are forced to drink from puddles or contaminated rainwater. As public health systems collapse, children are dying from preventable diseases like cholera, typhoid, and malaria.
They are trapped between two terrors: stay home and die of thirst or disease, or walk for miles and risk being attacked. No woman should have to choose between her health and her safety.
Our Solution: Bringing the Water to the People
Terra Renaissance is changing this reality. By working with local experts to tap into natural springs, we are building sustainable, community-led water points right where they are needed most.
To date, thanks to generous supporters, we have completed three water stations that now serve between 6,000 and 9,000 people. These aren't just faucets; they are lifelines. Because the water is now accessible within their villages, women no longer have to walk into dangerous, isolated areas. Children are drinking clean water, and the rates of waterborne illnesses are dropping.
Urgent: We Need Your Help to Build the Next Life-Point
The demand is overwhelming. At dawn, hundreds of families are already lining up with their yellow jerry cans at our existing sites. To protect more lives, we must urgently install the 4th and 5th water points.
The security situation remains volatile, and every day we wait is another day a girl is at risk. We need to act now to ensure that safety and health are rights, not luxuries.
How Your Donation Makes a Difference
Your contribution goes directly toward the materials, local labor, and water-quality testing required to build and maintain these vital spring-fed systems.
$10 can provide safe drinking water for one child for an entire year.
$50 can purchase the durable piping needed to connect a natural spring to a village distribution point.
$150 can fund the professional water-quality testing for a new site, ensuring the water is free from mining pollutants and bacteria.
$500 can provide the essential materials to construct a protected water tank that serves 500 households.
About Terra Renaissance
Founded in 2001, Terra Renaissance is a Japan-based NGO committed to supporting the self-reliance of victims of conflict, including former child soldiers and survivors of sexual violence. We have a long-standing presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, working hand-in-hand with local communities to restore peace and dignity. We believe that true peace starts with ensuring the basic safety and needs of every individual.
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