HEAL Africa's Founders Conduct Nationwide Tour to Share Best Practices for Rebuil...(13 - participation in Congo Week with sp...),Health

Congo has been called the "worst humanitarian disaster since World War II" by the International Rescue Committee. An estimated 5 million people have died due to the conflict since 1998, while an estimated 2 million(i) have been displaced from their homes without access to medical services, food or shelter. Recent visits to HEAL Africa by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon demonstrate the urgent need to raise global awareness of the systemized violence that is being used against civilians, especially women, and to witness the impact the organization is having on local communities.

By training health professionals, empowering social activists, and providing physical, spiritual and social healing to individuals and communities affected by the Congolese war, HEAL Africa has become one of three hospitals the government of Congo recommends to receive the best quality healthcare in a country of roughly 63 million. By providing hospital facilities and community development support, HEAL Africa addresses the root causes of illness and poverty for the people of eastern Congo. The organization's hospital and women's safe houses have provided a shelter for many of the country's war victims, and have been vehicles for combating poverty and promoting community cohesion over the past 14 years. Through their hospice program HEAL Africa has cared for roughly 5,000 individuals living with AIDS.

Statistics on the war in Congo:

• Nearly 6 million people have been killed since 1996(ii)
• Children account for nearly 47 percent of the deaths(iii)
• Roughly 45,000 Congolese die each month(iv)
• The war has had the most casualties since World War II(v)
  

About HEAL Af
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