Humanitarian Crisis Continues
Todd & Amy Churchill  |  December 1, 2008

Kinshasa — As fighting continues to pound northeastern Congo, nearly 250,000 have been forced to flee their villages, producing a massive humanitarian crisis. The refugee camps in and around Goma are now overflowing with internally displaced people. It is a very sad situation.

Last week, while in communication with some of our pastors in the Nord-Kivu Province in eastern Congo, we learned that many of our pastors and church families from the war torn Masisi Territory are now living in these refugee camps in and around Goma. They said, "We have identified 123 of our church families (a total of 344 people, 131 of which are children) from the interior who are now refugees of war, trying to survive under makeshift shelters in the horrible conditions of these camps. They and many others are in desperate need of our help. They need food, clothing, tarps for shelter, etc. We know that once peace is secured they will return to their villages, but they need our help now!" On Thursday, they were still trying to locate families and called us late Thursday evening to say that they had found another 55 families.

Immediate Need. The immediate need is to help these families with food and supplies. They said that the ONG's and UN organizations are not bringing enough food. You see trucks pull into the camps, but with the thousands of people living in each camp, the food quickly disappears and there is never enough. Because of the war, the cost of locally grown food has almost quadrupled. A sack of beans that would normally cost $25 now costs almost $100 and there is no way for these refugees to afford it. We would like to initially raise enough money to provide each family with $200 worth of food (i.e. beans, rice, corn, potatoes, etc.) and supplies such as tarps, clothing, and medical care.

Assistance to widows and orphans. Then, through the relationships that these families have with those from their villages, we hope to be able to identify and provide assistance to women who have lost their husbands in the war and to children who have either lost contact with their parents or have been orphaned by the war.

After the war. When these refugees do eventually return to their villages they will only be returning with what they can carry. In most cases they will have lost everything. Many of their homes have been burned, their villages razed to the ground, their churches destroyed, and their people destitute. We hope to be able to help them as they attempt to replant their fields and to rebuild their homes, their churches and their lives. Many will need specialized ministry because of the trauma they have been subjected to. Children will need educational resources and those who have lost their parents will need to be placed in homes.

How to help. Please pray for peace to be secured and for the safety and wellbeing of those whose lives and families have been devastated by this war.

If you would like to help financially, a special account has been set up in Springfield for this relief effort. Contributions can be sent to the following address and account number:

You can also make an immediate credit card donation to this relief effort by using the secure online contribution form on the Assemblies of God donations page. Please include the project name "DR Congo Relief" in the comments box.