ACN Success Story – Democratic Republic of Congo

Solar panels and sewing machines for a community centre There is great rejoicing in Lisala, in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo, over the new solar panels and sewing machines that your generous donations have made possible. The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary run a centre here which cares for …

DR Congo: Missionary describes chaos in Goma, with “many dead and refugee camps under attack”

Two weeks after the M23 armed group attacked the city of Goma, there is still fighting in the province of North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to a worsening of the humanitarian conditions in the region. A missionary in the country tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) …

DR Congo: Bishop calls for restraint and respect for human life as fighting rages in Goma

Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is in imminent danger of being taken over by the M23 rebels who have taken over the airport and parts of the city. Video: M23 entering in the city As fighting reportedly continues within the city, the Church fears for …

ACN Success Story – DRC

Three motorcycles for two parishes Thanks to your generosity, we were able to provide $11,620 towards the purchase of three small motorcycles for the Franciscan Fathers running two parishes in the south of the country. Located in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Archdiocese of Kananga covers part of the southern Kasai region, which in …

North Kivu, DR Congo – A hard Christmas

“Many people are fleeing their villages,” says missionary Fr. Marcelo Oliveira accuses neighbouring countries of instigating the violence taking place in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rebel groups did not even respect a Christmas truce. (Cover photo: in 2017, victims of M23 set camp in Goma outskirts). Christmas was a difficult …

ACN Project of the Week – Chad

Supporting the seminarians of the Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa, on the southern edge of the Sahara. Its surface area is almost 1.3 million square kilometres (by comparison, Quebec is 1.7 million km²), but with just over 16 million inhabitants, the country is relatively sparsely populated. The majority …

ACN Project of the Week – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Help for the training of 161 seminarians in the Diocese of Butembo-Beni The Diocese of Butembo-Beni is situated in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the crisis region of North Kivu, rich in natural resources, on the frontier between the DR Congo and neighbouring Uganda. For years now, the rebels of …

ACN Success Story – Burundi

A vehicle for pastoral work in a large parish Some time ago, we told you of an appeal from Burundi—a small but densely populated landlocked country that is also one of the poorest in the world.  The country has witnessed repeated genocides and a civil war that lasted from 1993 until 2005. To this day, …

ACN Success Story – DRC

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Liturgical and theological literature for future priests There are presently 20 young men from the Diocese of Bokungu-Ikela who are training for the priesthood at various seminaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Their diocese, which covers an area of just over 40,000 km², is roughly the …

DRC – “Our country is not for sale!”

Six bishops from the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have written an “assessment of the pastoral and social situation” of the country, following a meeting which took place in Butembo, from April 8-14, and which paints a bleak picture of the state of the country and denounces how “the dignity of …