Project Description

/ DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Emergency Assistance for Survivors

Start date: 2025.

CONTEXT

Since late 2024, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has witnessed a resurgence of violence linked to the re-emergence of the M23 armed group and the proliferation of local militias. This escalation of fighting in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces has displaced more than 1.6 million people in less than a year, adding to the 6.9 million already displaced across the country. Women and girls are the primary victims of this crisis, exposed to systemic sexual violence used as a weapon of war. In many areas, access to food, medical care, and legal protection has become extremely limited, while humanitarian needs are soaring.

Survivors of sexual violence supported by Stand Speak Rise Up! are under threat from their attackers, who were once imprisoned but have since been released.

The project:

In response to this situation, Stand Speak Rise Up! is supporting several local emergency initiatives led by its trusted Congolese partners. Between January 2025 and July 2025, the association has mobilized rapid and flexible funding to:

  • Distribute food, essential goods, and dignity kits to displaced women in and around Goma;

  • Ensure free access to medical and psychological care for survivors of sexual violence hosted in partner facilities;

  • Provide emergency shelter for women under threat or who have survived severe violence.

©Photo: africanews/Moses Sawasawa!