The situation in the Congo is dire. Ongoing violence and atrocities perpetrated by rebel factions, Congolese militia and United Nations soldiers have claimed the lives of over 5 million Congolese civilians in the past twenty four years. In addition child slave labor is used in the mining of minerals and diamonds, boys are kidnapped and forced to be child soldiers. Eastern Congo is known as the "Rape Capital of the World" with girls as young as a month old to grandmothers being abused by attackers.
Coltan is a combination of columbite and tantalite. It is used in the manufactureof cell phones, laptops, IPads, IPods, tablets - virtually every electronic device used by First World countries needs these minerals to function.
The scale of poverty in Congo is appalling. The per capita income is less than $475 per year making it the poorest country in the world. The regions that our children live in have no electricity or running water, no paved streets. More than 2 million children throughout the country do not attend school because their families cannot afford school fees.
As of 2019, The Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked as the poorest country out of 192 countries.