A Crisis Within a Crisis
In the remote villages of South Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, families were struggling to survive long before Ebola arrived. Many live in extreme poverty, depending on unstable informal work to put food on the table, and widows, survivors of conflict and gender-based violence, abandoned wives, and single mothers often care for children, grandchildren, and orphaned relatives with little or no support. The current Ebola outbreak has pushed an already desperate situation to the breaking point, disrupting local markets, shrinking what little economic opportunity exists, and straining healthcare across the region. Families who were barely getting by now face severe food insecurity while trying to protect themselves from a deadly disease.

Recent food donation recipients

Recent food donation recipients

$1,200 Has Already Reached 170 People
This isn't a plan on paper, it's work already underway. Working together, Finding Freedom Through Friendship (FFF) and Helping Hand for Survivors (HHS) recently funded emergency relief for families in Buhesi Village and surrounding communities. With a grant of just $1,200, local volunteers distributed 500 kg of rice, 250 kg of maize, soap and liquid soap, salt, and other essential supplies, reaching 170 local citizens. The need now far outpaces what that single distribution could cover.

Two Volunteer Nonprofits, Working Together
Behind this effort are two American nonprofits run entirely by volunteers. FFF and HHS have worked side by side for years, supporting women and families affected by poverty, conflict, and displacement in eastern DRC. Neither organization pays a staff salary, and distributions on the ground are coordinated by local volunteers in South Kivu. That structure means your donation goes directly to food and hygiene supplies for the families who need them.

What Your Gift Provides
For a family living on a few dollars a day, a bag of rice is the difference between eating and going hungry, and for a mother during an Ebola outbreak, soap is a frontline defense. Your donation funds emergency food assistance, soap and hygiene supplies, support for widows and single mothers, protection for children and vulnerable families, and community-led distribution managed by local volunteers.

How You Can Help
$25 — food and hygiene supplies for a vulnerable family
$50 — emergency food assistance for a widow and her children
$100 — food and protective hygiene supplies for several households
$250 — a larger community distribution effort
$1,200 — sponsors a full distribution like the one that recently served 170 people
Every gift moves supplies directly into the hands of families facing both hunger and Ebola.

Donate Today
Two volunteer-run nonprofits and a network of local volunteers are already doing this work — your gift simply lets them do more of it. Join us in delivering food and Ebola-prevention supplies to women, children, and families in eastern DR Congo.

Emergency Food & Ebola Protection for Families in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Two U.S.-based, all-volunteer nonprofits are delivering food, soap, and hygiene supplies to women, children, and families in eastern DR Congo facing extreme poverty and a new Ebola outbreak.