LUMUMBA VILLAGE: DRC’S SANCTUARY FOR CHILDREN

Violence against children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached unprecedented levels. According to the UN, there are few (if any) worse places to be a child. The country has the world’s highest number of verified grave violations against children in armed conflict.

As of early 2025, more than 26.4-million people in DRC are in need of humanitarian assistance - that’s about one in every four people - including some 14.2-million children. In the first few weeks of this year, escalating violence in the east has displaced over 100,000 people - more than half of them children. Entire communities are on the move, running from a war they never started, hunted by militias and ignored by the world. Conflict has been raging in parts of the country for nearly three decades, with children killed, sexually assaulted, abducted and forcibly recruited for use by armed groups.

Natural disasters have made things worse. In 2021, Mount Nyiragongo - north of the regional capital Goma - erupted, displacing nearly half a million and killing 50. Some 2,000 children were separated from their parents amid the chaos.

But even in this darkness, there are glimmers of hope. A project called ‘I Heart Africa’ (@iheartafricadotorg - Instagram) has tried to provide a sanctuary for some of those impacted by the disaster. The group, which puts African concerns first, has built a small community called Lumumba Village. Our man Erick Gavala paid a visit to learn more.