Mwangaza International sprang from a generation of students wearied by the costs of war paid by the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since 1997, political coups and wars between armies and militias have continually ravished the country. The victims of these conflicts are always civilians.

According to the UN, 5.4 million are dead as a result of the wars in DRC. Another 2.4 million are internally displaced and 388,000 are displaced outside of the country. Some 17 million remain malnourished, 1.3 million stricken with HIV/AIDS, and more than 2,000 have been victimized by landmines since 1998.

Even with positive steps now being taken in Congo politically, the major tragedies left by the wars include orphaned child soldiers, women victims, the spread of the AIDS virus and the wide-scale malnutrition of the population.

Tens of thousands of children were forced to kill, rape, take drugs and act as sexual slaves to older soldiers throughout these wars. Now, when they escape or are released, they have memories of traumatic mistreatment and no knowledge of normal life. Most of them are left to the streets.

Women who were victims of rape during the wars are usually abandoned by their husbands and families because of disease, pregnancy, or shame.

The AIDS virus has spread into most of DRC, especially in the East where one city reportedly is 26% infected. Also, the East is the agricultural region of DRC, and since militias are still in power there, many in Congo are kept from these resources.

Little is being done to remedy these problems. We hope to change that.