Disaster Response Congo, Democratic Republic of the Project #68760

Urgent Action: Aid for the Eastern DR Congo Crisis

by Terra Renaissance

Project Report | Jul 13, 2026
Emergency Project Report: Impact of the Escalating Conflict in South Kivu and Our Response Plan

By Overseas Team | Member of Overseas Team

A facility of the producers' cooperative

Thank You for Your Continued Support

First and foremost, thank you for your generous and continued support for the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Through this report, we would like to update you on the current situation in our project areas following the recent escalation of armed conflict, and outline our emergency response plan.

Situation Overview: Temporary Relocation Due to Advancing Conflict Almost all of Terra Renaissance’s project sites in South Kivu are currently located directly on the route of advancing armed groups. To ensure the safety of our staff and their families, we have temporarily suspended operations in the region, closed our Bukavu office, and relocated our base to Uvira (the second largest city in South Kivu) to continue our emergency relief activities.

We have confirmed the physical safety of our staff and the beneficiaries of our programs. However, the indirect and direct impacts of the intensified fighting on their lives and livelihoods have been devastating.

Impact on Project Beneficiaries

1. Dairy Processing Cooperative (Loss of Facilities & Livelihoods) A group of 36 women—survivors of past conflicts and sexual violence—along with their families (approx. 100 people in total) were forced to flee to neighboring Burundi as refugees to escape the heavy fighting. Struggling to secure food and shelter, they made the dangerous decision to return to their hometown in late March. Tragically, upon their return, they found that their dairy processing facility—built with your support—had been attacked by armed groups, and all their equipment was looted. This cooperative had recently been recognized by the government as an excellent local enterprise and had just opened a new shop. Rebuilding their hard-earned independence will be an incredibly difficult journey.

2. Beekeeping Group (Economic Paralysis & Threat to Life) Our beekeeping group in the Kalehe region has also been severely affected by the sudden violence. While they live in rural areas far from the direct attacks and are physically safe, the region's logistics have completely stopped. Severe inflation is threatening their daily survival. Furthermore, although this year's honey has been sold, they cannot safely travel to towns controlled by armed forces to procure materials for next year or sell their products. As security deteriorates and access to healthcare is restricted, there is a growing fear that more people will die from indirect causes—such as starvation and disease—than from direct combat.

Our Emergency Response and Future Action Plan In response to this crisis, Terra Renaissance is implementing the following emergency operations (some are already underway). Please note that these activities remain flexible to meet the most urgent needs on the ground.

Action 1: Business Recovery and Follow-up for Previous Beneficiaries We will provide the dairy processing group with new processing machines and refrigeration equipment to replace what was looted. For the beekeeping group, we will supply new beehives and containers. We will also provide business consultation to help them find new, safe sales routes to sustain their livelihoods under conflict conditions.
Action 2: Emergency Humanitarian Aid for Conflict Victims With hospitals, schools, and markets destroyed, we will distribute essential survival items—such as food, soap, and blankets—to displaced families. We are also providing medical support, including transporting the injured and sick to hospitals and supplying medical equipment.
Action 3: Urgent Malaria Prevention and Treatment The risk of malaria is skyrocketing due to malnutrition and the collapse of the healthcare system. We are scaling up our distribution of anti-malaria drugs, preventative medicines, and mosquito nets, along with educational campaigns on proper usage to prevent a surge in preventable deaths.

Looking Ahead: We Need Your Help Your donations will go directly toward funding these three emergency actions. We are fully committed to adapting to the needs on the ground so that the people of eastern DRC can regain their peaceful lives and self-reliance.

Rebuilding what was lost will take time, but with your continued partnership, we will not give up. Please consider sharing this report or making an additional contribution to support our emergency relief efforts.

Thank you for standing with us and the people of Congo.

Former child soldiers engaged in beekeeping

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Mar 17, 2026
Turning the Tide: Provide Clean Water and Medicine to 9,000+ in the DRC

By Channie Cheung | Member of Overseas Team

Thank you so much for supporting our projects. Here comes our latest report!

Backgrounds: A Forgotten Crisis on the Frontlines

In the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the escalation of conflict since February 2025 has turned peaceful villages into "blanket-free zones"—areas completely cut off from humanitarian aid. In the Kalonge region, the situation is dire. As the M23 armed group advances, Kalonge has become a precarious frontline.

While the local community and government forces struggle to hold the line, the people are paying the ultimate price. The Kalonge General Hospital, the only major medical facility in the area, has been abandoned by other international organizations due to deteriorating security. No government supplies are arriving, and medical staff are working without pay.

The Heartbreaking Reality for Children there

Imagine being a parent in Kalonge. Your child is suffering from malaria—a preventable and treatable disease. But because the hospital has no medicine, you are forced to watch them grow weaker. To make matters worse, clean water is a luxury you cannot afford. Although the region is naturally water-rich, the lack of infrastructure means families must rely on contaminated rainwater or puddles.

This "dirty water" is a silent killer. Outbreaks of cholera and typhoid are claiming lives that should have been saved. Combined with severe malnutrition caused by the conflict, children are losing their lives to illnesses that a simple dose of medicine or a glass of clean water could have prevented.

Our Solution: Water is Medicine

At Terra Renaissance, we believe that protecting lives starts with prevention. Thanks to our generous supporters, we have already successfully installed three water supply stations in Kalonge. These stations are more than just pipes and faucets; they are centers of hope where 6,000 to 9,000 people now access safe, tested water every day.

Every morning, children and women no longer trek to dangerous puddles; instead, they line up with bright yellow jerrycans at our stations to collect the foundation of health: safe water.

Why Your Support is Urgent Today

The conflict is not over, and the "blanket-free zone" is expanding. While our first three stations are saving thousands of lives, thousands more are still left behind in the reach of disease and dehydration. We need to act now to expand these water points and continue providing essential malaria medication before the next outbreak takes more young lives.

How Your Gift Makes an Impact

Your transparency is our priority. Here is how your donation will be used:

$15 can provide a full course of malaria treatment for three children.
$50 can fund the water quality testing and maintenance for one supply station to ensure it remains safe.
$100 can provide emergency food supplies for a family displaced by the conflict.
$500 can help construct a new water point, bringing life-saving infrastructure to a village in need.

About Terra Renaissance

Terra Renaissance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the self-reliance of people affected by conflict. With years of experience in the DRC, we stay when others leave, working directly with local experts to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable "blanket-free" areas. We don’t just give aid; we build the foundations for peace and stability alongside the community.

Take Action Now

You can be the bridge between a "blanket-free zone" and a community of hope. Your contribution today provides more than just water and medicine—it tells the people of Kalonge that they are not forgotten.

Please click the "Donate" button to save a life in the DRC today.

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Nov 21, 2025
Heal Hearts & Lives: Aid 200 Refugee Kids in Burundi

By Ayaka Kawashima | Head of Burundi Office, Terra Renaissance

YouTube: https://youtu.be/t3zakzF9h1k?si=7eGSx-rSg482O38m

Imagine being a child, running for your life. Amidst the chaos of gunfire and screaming crowds in Eastern Congo, you let go of your mother’s hand for just a second—and in that second, she is gone. You keep running, terrified, eventually crossing the border into a foreign land, completely alone.

This is not a movie script. This is the heartbreaking reality for many of the children I am meeting right now.

I am Ayaka Kawashima, reporting from the Museni Refugee Site in Southern Burundi. Since February of this year, violence has surged in Eastern Congo, forcing approximately 70,000 people to flee into Burundi. In this camp alone, 12,000 new refugees have arrived in just a few months.

Among them are the most vulnerable victims of war: unaccompanied children.

Many of these children are orphans, or they were separated from their families during their desperate escape. They arrived at this camp with absolutely nothing—no food, no change of clothes, and no parents to hold them. As I look around the camp, I see children who are "bleeding," not just from physical injuries, but from deep, invisible wounds in their hearts.

Our Solution: Healing Wounds, Both Visible and Invisible

Terra Renaissance is on the ground right now, focusing our support on 200 of the most vulnerable children in the Museni site. We believe that survival is about more than just bread and water; it is about dignity and mental health.

Our project provides a two-fold approach to emergency aid:

Physical Survival (Emergency Relief): We are distributing immediate life-saving essentials. These children arrived in rags. We provide clothing, soap, and hygiene products to restore a sense of human dignity and prevent disease in the crowded camp conditions.
Emotional Survival (Psychosocial Support): The trauma of war can destroy a child’s future. We conduct counseling activities and play therapy to help these children process their grief and trauma. We create a safe space where they can just be children again, even for a moment.

Why We Need Your Help Now

The conflict in Eastern Congo is ongoing, and the influx of refugees is not stopping. These children are in a critical window of time. Without immediate intervention, the trauma of separation and war can cause permanent psychological damage. They have lost their homes and their families; they cannot afford to lose their futures, too.

We need to act today to stop the bleeding.

How Your Donation Makes a Difference

We believe in transparency. Your donation goes directly to the field to support these children. Here is what your contribution can do:

$15 provides a Hygiene & Dignity Kit (soap, toothbrush, sanitary supplies) for one child.
$30 provides a Set of New Clothes, replacing the tattered rags a child fled in.
$50 supports Trauma Counseling Sessions for a child to help heal their emotional scars.
$100 provides Emergency Nutritional Support for a group of unaccompanied minors.

About Terra Renaissance

We are a certified NPO committed to the philosophy of "Autonomy." We don't just give handouts; we walk side-by-side with beneficiaries until they can stand on their own feet.

Our goal is not just to provide temporary relief, but to stay with these children until their physical and emotional wounds heal—until they can reclaim their lives and walk toward the future with their own strength.

Join Us in Rebuilding Lives

The children of Congo are crying out for help. They have shown incredible resilience just to survive the journey here. Now, it is our turn to show them that the world has not forgotten them.

Please, lend us your strength. Donate today to help us bandage their wounds, clothe their bodies, and heal their hearts.

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