GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Samaritan Assistance for Vulnerable People has held a solidarity day for particularly vulnerable children in Goma, providing school supplies and protective kits against Ebola.

The local organisation, known as SAV, is supporting children affected by conflict, displacement, poverty, separation from family and health concerns. Its work combines material assistance with education, mental-health support and awareness of measures to prevent Ebola.

The activity included information on Ebola prevention at a time when the disease is reported to have resurfaced in the region and is affecting several areas in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Focus on orphaned children

SAV head Espoir Kikuni said orphaned children are frequently overlooked during public-awareness activities. He said the organisation had made them a priority so they could receive the same information about Ebola as other children.

“These orphaned children are human beings, but they are often forgotten during awareness campaigns. We have now prioritised these children so that they can have the same understanding of the Ebola virus,” Kikuni said.

The organisation is also running a mental-health and psychosocial-support programme in beneficiary schools. The initiative is intended to assist children dealing with trauma associated with conflict, displacement and precarious living conditions.

Kikuni said the region had been facing its current situation for more than 30 years and argued that greater investment in children was necessary to prevent the crisis from affecting future generations.

“Our region has been in this situation for more than 30 years. We really need to focus on investing in these children so that this situation can be brought to an end and does not spread to future generations. That is how we can limit what is known as intergenerational trauma,” he said.

Schools as places of stability

Teachers and education teams working with vulnerable pupils report signs of distress among some children. School officials have observed concentration difficulties, aggression and withdrawal, behaviours that may be connected to the conditions in which the pupils are growing up.

At EPAIMOG School, principal John Mwamba said pupils were facing both poverty and psychological trauma linked to living away from their parents.

“They have nothing, and every hour we spend with them here, we can feel the poverty they are experiencing. Psychologically, they are traumatised because they live away from their parents. That is already a serious problem affecting their mental health,” Mwamba said.

The consequences of armed conflict remain visible in the daily lives of many children in eastern Congo. Against that backdrop, schools are expected to provide more than lessons. They are also viewed as places where children can recover a sense of security and routine.

SAV’s programme seeks to contribute to that stability through education, psychosocial support, material assistance and health awareness. The organisation says its focus is to help vulnerable children rebuild their lives while ensuring that orphaned children are included in prevention efforts.