Displaced families in DR Congo face daily struggle for survival

This mass, ongoing displacement has placed further strain on already limited resources. Odette's story mirrors that of countless others forced to flee the renewed violence. In the first half of 2024 alone, nearly a million people were displaced - many more than once. While some find welcome with local families around Goma, most crowd into spontaneous or formal sites, where they face persistent security risks and limited availability of aid.

Access to basics like food, shelter and health care remains insufficient. Soaring food prices and repeated epidemics compound the struggles for both displaced people and the communities helping them.

Alarmingly, women and girls are exposed to heightened risk of gender-based violence, with many subjected to sexual violence as they fled conflict and many driven into survival sex work to feed themselves and their families. In North Kivu alone, reported cases of gender-based violence rose from 20,771 in early 2023 to 27,328 in the same period of 2024, with rape comprising 63 per cent of incidents. Underreporting means the true levels are likely to be much higher.

Odette works tirelessly to support her family however she can. Thanks to a small-business promotion scheme and grant provided by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she owns a modest shop and drinks stand near her shelter. "Before, life was good because we could feed ourselves from the food we grew on our land, but now we have to make do with limited resources," she said. "These small businesses help me provide essentials for my family. It's not much, but it's something."