---

The People

---

The Congo

• Over 5,400,000 people have died over the last 9 years, from the Congolese civil war.  (This is more than any other single war or conflict since WWII).
   Read link: IRC Congo Report: 5,400,000 dead
   Read more: Congo News Links
  
  
• Over 50% of the population is under the age of 15.



• There are more than 1,100,00 people living with HIV/AIDS.



• In 2005 there were over 25,000 reported cases of rape in Eastern DRC, yet many cases go unreported



• 1 in 5 children currently die before the age of five.



• Average income is $120 per year (US Dollars).



• There are over 62 million people trying to stay alive in the Congo.

The Reality

The Congo nation and the Congolese people have suffered tremendous devastation during the past nine years of civil war. This battle for power and control has brought untold slaughter, mass murder, widespread AIDS epidemics, tribal warfare, false imprisonment, ethnic cleansing, rape and torture, and even some reports of cannibalism. Government forces continually fight against entrenched warlords wielding stockpiles of military weapons. The peaceful Congolese people are helplessly trapped in the middle of this conflict. Unemployment runs rampant at 95%, fighting off starvation is a daily struggle, and the majority of the surviving populace is under 15 years old. These children are mostly orphaned, surrounded by danger, alone and afraid. There is no one to turn to, they can only cry out to God for help ...   But the Lord of Heaven hears their cry, and we do, too! And though the Western media remains silent, we will continue to speak out for the Congolese people ...