-
Make a real difference...
-
to communities across Africa.
-
Share skills and knowledge...
-
and sponsor children...
-
to develop a better future
-
...and change lives forever!
| Auto |
What is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) has changed names a few
times over the last half century and, even today, is known to many as Congo Kinshasa to differentiate it from its neighnour, the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville.) Until 1960 it was a Belgian colony known as
the Belgian Congo. On gaining independence, political instability ensued followed
by a coup in 1965 which installed Joseph-Desire Mobutu as national leader. Mobutu then changed both his name to Mobutu Sese Seko and that of the country to
Zaire, or Republic of Zaire with himself as president. He stayed in power until
1997 when his regime fell to the armies of Rwanda and Uganda with Laurent Kabila
then installed as president. This event marked the beginning of what is called the Second
Congo War, a war that involved nine African countries and some
twenty armed groups.
The basis of the war was that Rwanda and
Uganda wanted to control the perceived riches of the
Democratic Republic of Congo having installed Kabila as
president only to find he wanted their troops out of the
country fearing they would in turn oust him and install a
Tutsi subservient to Rwanda's President Paul Kagame. The war itself,
which was to outlast Kabila after he was assassinated in
2001, continued for 4 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 2 days and took
the lives of around 5,400,000 people, mostly through
disease; the most causalities of any war in Earth's history,
save for the Second World War. It was a struggle that still simmers particularly in the
east of the territory where troops from countries such as Uganda are active.
Today the country is home to 89.56 million people (2020) and is
Africa's second largest country by size and the 11th largest in the world. It
is ranked in 175th place out of 189 countries and territories in
2019 in terms of life expectancy, literacy,
access to knowledge and living standards of its people. The ongoing simmering conflicts there however continue to damage the country's economy, despite
it's natural wealth in terms of resources, with foreign businesses and investors
unwilling to work in partnership with the government because of
its instability. This situation is slowly changing and
foreign investment is beginning to rise. Find out more about the Democratic Republic of Congo in our DRC profile pages below.
DRC Profile: Volunteer Congo Kinshasa
|
DRC Profile: DRC History
|
DRC Profile: Life in DRC
|
DRC Profile: Children in DRC
|
DRC Profile: Street Children in DRC
|
DRC Profile: DRC Education
|
DRC Profile: DRC Images
|
DRC Profile: Kinshasa Profile
|
DRC Profile: Kinshasa Airport
|
DRC Profile: Child Sponsor DRC
|
DRC Profile: DRC Map
|
DRC Profile: DRC News
|
|
Details of current volunteer work
opportunities in each of the
countries of Africa.
Find how to sponsor a child in Africa
with our list of organisations,
charities, programs and projects.
Discover all about Africa, its tourist
attractions, history, people, culture
and daily life there.
