Care and surgery
Training and skills transfer
Building and equipping hospitals
Prevention and screening
Emergencies and humanitarian crises
Maternal health
Democratic Republic of Congo
Axes of intervention
Care and surgery- Training and skills transfer
- Building and equipping hospitals
Start of mission: 1994
At a time when the Democratic Republic of the Congo is experiencing a difficult economic, health and security situation, La Chaîne de l'Espoir is working with the country's healthcare professionals to strengthen the healthcare offer for Congolese children.
Background
The humanitarian emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo
62% of the population
in Congo live on less than $2.15 a day.
0.38 doctor
per 1,000 inhabitants (compared with 3.39 in France).
70 deaths
per 1,000 live births in children under 5.
Source: World Bank, Unicef (2022 figures)
With a population of around 96 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a sad record. One of the five poorest nations in the world, it is also, according to the UN, one of the four countries with the highest absolute number of neonatal deaths (96,000 per year). The maternal mortality rate is also one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. The health system remains fragile, struggling to meet the needs of the population, particularly in the face of epidemics of measles, cholera, yellow fever, polio and even Ebola.
To protect themselves, many families are forced to turn to traditional medicine, for lack of access to more modern, well-equipped facilities.
These difficulties are compounded by a succession of armed conflicts, particularly in the province of North Kivu, which has been experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis since 2004.
In this context, women and girls are the most exposed to inequality and sexual violence. This is one of the major struggles of many NGOs, including the Panzi Foundation. Founded in 2008 by gynecological surgeon Denis Mukwege, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, the Foundation is resolutely committed to the rights and health of women and children.
Our action for the Congolese people
Improving access to healthcare
Since the 90s, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has been working to enable sick Congolese children to undergo heart surgery in France, thanks to our ” Soins des enfants en France” program.
To go a step further in supporting local healthcare professionals, we carried out several surgical missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2015 and 2018. We have particularly targeted the Goma region, on the border with Rwanda, which hosts populations displaced by armed conflict and whose humanitarian situation is precarious. These missions have enabled us not only to operate on children in general and digestive surgery, but also to train local caregivers, thereby making up for the lack of qualified surgeons and anesthetists in the country.
La Chaîne de l’Espoir is currently carrying out companionship missions to support medical and paramedical teams at the Ngaliema clinic in Kinshasa, in order to perform open-heart surgery. This action is being carried out in support of La Chaîne de l’Espoir Belgique and in partnership with the association Chirurgie Pédiatrique en Afrique(Chirpa ASBL). The first mission took place from May 11 to 19, 2024, and saw four children operated on. Since 2024, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has also helped set up echoes® teleconsultation sessions and offers its technical expertise to support CHIRPA in improving its biomedical equipment.
Our partners
They support our humanitarian aid in the Democratic Republic of Congo
No linked partners found.
Photos: La Chaîne de l’Espoir
