SOS Children's Villages has been helping children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1987.

November 19, 2009: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, is a country in Central Africa plagued by a high rate of sexual violence against women. On November 15th, the nation's Minister of Gender, Family Affairs, and Children thanked the U.S. for the $17 million given to Congo to help end the sexual violence.

Many of the rapes stem from that country's ongoing civil war. Minister Marie-Ange Lukiana says part of the funds will go toward recruiting female police officers and covering medical costs, including psychological counseling, for victims.

The assistance follows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit to a refugee camp in eastern Congo, where she spoke with rape victims and promised support to end sexual violence. Eastern Congo is a battleground for government troops fighting armed groups. Rape is a common tool of war in the area that has affected some 3,500 women, according to the United Nations.

SOS Children's Villages Cares for Victims of Sexual Violence

Girls are among the victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to a UNICEF report, 223 million children are subject to sexual violence around the globe. Orphaned and abandoned children are especially vulnerable.

SOS Children's Villages provides warm homes, loving SOS mothers, health care, and education to children in 132 countries who would otherwise go without. Many of the children brought to SOS Children's Villages have been the innocent victims of sexual violence and abuse. Such experiences leave mental scars that can take years to heal.

Local staff at SOS Children's Villages draw on decades of experience in learning how to rebuild trust in adults among traumatized children. SOS loves and nurtures these children, providing them therapy when necessary.

Helping Children in the Congo Since 1987

SOS operates two Children's Villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both are in the eastern part of the country -- one in the town of Bukavu on a hill above Lake Kivu, the other 74 miles to the south, in Uvira. The need for SOS's services is great. Political instability and poverty have produced thousands of Congo families unable to care for their children.

Both SOS facilities include kindergartens and schools that are open to neighborhood children in need. SOS Children's Villages - Bukavu also runs a clinic for local families. The clinic, a permanent fixture on which many local families now rely, was originally created in 1996 as a temporary service to treat victims of Congo's bitter fighting.

You can give a traumatized child the chance to find a safe haven and a better life. Sponsor an SOS child today.