The conflict that engulfed Congo in the late 1990’s and still continues today in areas of eastern Congo has led to widespread suffering and exploitation of Congolese women, many of whom have been victims of rape and sexual violence.
Even in peacetime, Congolese women are often regarded as inferior to men. Girls are passed over for boys when families must choose which of their children they can afford to send to school.
Left without an education or options for gainful employment, many are forced to turn to prostitution and other forms of exploitative labor in order to provide for their families.
We serve at-risk Congolese women, training them in vocational and income-generating skills, empowering them to earn a livelihood that will provide better lives for themselves and their families – lives marked by hope and opportunity, rather than despair and poverty. We also provide counseling for women affected by trauma and hardships that have left deep emotional, psychological, and spiritual scars. Our work is to bring healing and comfort to these women, along with a renewed sense of their identity as women created in the image of God.
