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Current Requirements (US$)$781.3 million
Crisis overview
The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is among the world’s most complex, marked by protracted displacement both within the country and across borders. Ongoing violence, including clashes between armed groups, human rights abuses, and gender-based violence (GBV), has intensified protection and life-saving needs, forcing many to seek asylum in neighbouring countries. This violence is especially severe in eastern provinces bordering Rwanda and Uganda. In the first half of 2024 alone, over 940,000 people were displaced due to escalating hostilities. Pre-existing vulnerabilities worsen the situation, with displaced people facing high risks from limited livelihood opportunities, and inadequate shelter and sanitation facilities.
In April 2024, the IASC Principals (representing 20 NGOs and UN agencies) issued an urgent warning about record levels of sexual violence, forced displacement, and hunger. This crisis is expected to persist and possibly worsen in 2025 amid ongoing instability. A responsible transition of the MONUSCO mission in North Kivu and Ituri is necessary to prevent further destabilization.
As of September 2024, an estimated 8.4 million people have been displaced due to the crisis in the DRC. Of those, 7.3 million are internally displaced and over 1 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries, including Angola, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. The number of refugees from the DRC seeking international protection rose by approximately 36,500 in the first nine months of 2024.
Navigating teen pregnancy in a refugee camp
Having fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo at age six, Anne* was eager to pursue her education in Mahama camp. But when she became pregnant at age 15, her world changed. With her parents' support, she navigated the challenges of teenage motherhood, returning to school six months after giving birth.
Thanks to Save the Children’s daycare programme, Anne could focus on her studies, knowing her daughter, Jane, was in good care. Now in Senior 3, she is passionate about mathematics, physics, and geography, and dreams of learning to drive one day.
Anne’s journey reflects resilience, but her story also shines a light on a broader issue—the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in refugee camps. Her advice to other teens is simple yet profound: "Stay in school, because school saves you from bad behaviors. The school also helps you deal with financial troubles by helping you find a job in the future.”
Looking ahead, Anne hopes for greater access to reproductive health education within the camp. UNHCR and its partners recognize the importance of empowering teenagers with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed choices about their bodies and futures. UNHCR with Save the Children International, Plan International Rwanda and ALIGHT are implementing programmes focused on child protection and gender-based violence prevention. Through awareness-raising campaigns, door-to-door outreach, one-on-one sessions, and different sports and recreational activities, these initiatives aim to support and uplift the refugee community.
* Name changed for protection purposes
With limited prospects for voluntary return and third-country solutions, the DRC refugee population is expected to grow in 2025. This will increase pressure on host countries, which are already managing challenges like high population growth, food insecurity, worsening socio-economic conditions and the adverse effects of climate change.
For three decades, host governments and communities have generously provided safety to refugees from the DRC and continue to welcome new arrivals. However, refugee policies and legislation vary widely across the region. Some countries have progressive policies aligned with the Global Compact on Refugees, which enhance refugee protection and promote inclusion and solutions. Others, however, enforce restrictive policies that risk trapping refugees in cycles of deprivation, perpetuating dependency on external aid. For example, continued encampment policies confine refugees to overcrowded settlements, increasing vulnerability to diseases like measles, cholera and malaria and exacerbating food insecurity that can force families to resort to harmful coping strategies.
Given these challenges, refugee needs are likely to remain extensive in 2025 and beyond. This underscores the need to work with host governments to promote refugee self-reliance and resilience. Key actions include ensuring refugees’ right to work and access to national services such as healthcare, education and banking.
Angola
A Congolese refugee family boards a plane as part of UNHCR’s voluntary return programme, marking a new chapter in their journey home.
UNHCR/ Camila GeraldoResponse priorities in 2025
In 2025, partners will continue to implement the priorities outlined in the two-year DRC Regional RRP, launched in 2024. The expanded scope of the RRP reflects both the need for lifesaving emergency assistance and the need to address the protracted nature of the crisis. With many DRC refugees displaced for decades, the plan focuses on building resilience and self-reliance within communities to move towards lasting solutions.
In 2025, the DRC RRP seeks $690.2 million to protect and assist 2.1 million refugees and host communities, guided by the following regional strategic objectives:
1. Enhance the protection environment
Building on the progress from 2024, partners will work with governments to safeguard unhindered access to asylum and international protection, and promote refugees’ rights. A key focus will be collaborating with host governments to adopt and implement progressive refugee policies that support solutions. Partners will maintain a needs-based approach with age, gender and diversity integrated across all programmes. Responses will also include risk mitigation measures and maintain a strong commitment to accountability to affected people.
2. Support dignified lives and access to basic services
Partners will expand needs-based approaches to provide timely, targeted assistance through community-driven programmes. These programmes will offer in-kind and cash-based assistance and tailored services for vulnerable refugees. To bolster social cohesion and follow a “do no harm” approach, partners will address needs in host communities living alongside refugees. Where possible, interventions will be temporary, focusing on preventing further deterioration among the most vulnerable refugees and addressing the underlying causes of their vulnerability.
3. Promote access to and inclusion into national systems:
Following host government pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum, partners will work with national agencies to expand refugees’ access to inclusive national systems. This includes promoting access to education, healthcare, employment and social services, while also strengthening public institutions to ensure that policies benefit both refugees and host communities.
4. Promote self-reliance and pursue durable solutions:
To address the root causes of vulnerability, partners will promote self-reliance and seek solutions wherever possible. At the local level, this involves creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and financial independence. For vulnerable refugees, including those with specific needs or medical conditions, resettlement and complementary pathways will remain key when local solutions are unavailable. Partners will also continue supporting voluntary returns for those who choose to repatriate.
Localization will remain central, ensuring a more community-based, sustainable response. This involves ongoing collaboration with host governments and local authorities to implement inclusive policies aligned with national development frameworks. Partners will commit to capacity-sharing with local organizations, engaging them throughout the RRP programming cycle to ensure the response is accountable, cost-effective and timely. Additionally, partners uphold a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). All organizations involved in the RRP will mainstream measures to prevent and mitigate SEA risks through their programming.
Refugees in Angola build self-reliance through agriculture
In Lunda Norte, Angola, RRP partners are empowering refugee communities beyond basic agriculture. Projects in rice, maize, and vegetable farming not only improve food security but also promote self-reliance and socioeconomic inclusion. Over 600 families, including host community families, benefit by consuming or selling their produce, generating income and contributing to the province's food supply.
A key figure in this effort is Nkoyo Antoinette, or “Maman Antho,” a former civil servant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She manages work in the rice fields and is a symbol of female leadership in Louva settlement. Her journey from food aid recipient to agricultural leader reflects refugees' desire to support themselves.
Maman Antho emphasizes the importance of working the land, teaching children to take pride in their labor. Similarly, DRC refugee Jean Bafolo, a father of three, sees farming as a path to restore dignity and provide for his family. These efforts highlight refugee resilience and the importance of durable solutions.
2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
Regional | Food security
RRP partners have provided regular food assistance, both in-kind and cash-based, to thousands of refugees each month. In Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Angola—hosting about 90 per cent of DRC refugees targeted under the RRP— partners reached 627,470 refugees between January and September 2024.
Jan - Sep 2024Zambia | Basic needs/cash assistance
1,689 refugee households (over 8,000 individuals) with specific needs–facing barriers to accessing services or assistance—received cash assistance while 1,622 DRC refugee households (nearly 7,800 people) received cash assistance to aid recovery from the ongoing drought.
30 June 2024Burundi | Energy/NFI
Approximately 80 per cent of refugee households (about 14,000) received clean and energy-efficient cooking technologies, such as environmentally friendly briquets.
30 June 2024Rwanda | Education
Refugees from DRC have access to government education services and partners have helped them overcome financial barriers to learning. 609 refugees accessed higher education, including through the DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) programme.
30 June 2024Tanzania | Public health and nutrition
Partners supported primary health facilities to provide over 127,000 consultations for refugees from the DRC and host community members in the first nine months of the year.
30 June 2024Uganda | Livelihoods and economic inclusion
RRP partners, working alongside the Government, assisted 39 per cent of DRC refugee households to access land for agricultural activities.
Over 17,000 refugees received training in agricultural practices and climate-smart technologies, while 19,811 were trained in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, business management, and group dynamics.
Consequences of inaction
Health
Across the region, funding shortfalls have significantly affected the availability and quality of healthcare for DRC refugees. In Uganda, a 15 per cent funding reduction has caused a shortage of 735 healthcare professionals in refugee-supporting facilities. In Tanzania’s overcrowded camps, similar funding gaps mean there is an average of one doctor for every 10,000 refugees. Additionally, more than half of the health facilities in Nyarugusu camp, the largest camp for DRC refugees in Tanzania, have closed. Referral services, which provide access to secondary and tertiary healthcare for refugees, have also been affected, with UNHCR in Rwanda limiting referrals to emergency cases only. Underfunded refugee health programmes not only delay and reduce the quality of healthcare delivered to refugees, but also jeopardize long-term health outcomes by precluding early or preventative treatments that could reduce the need for specialized and costly care.
Education
Funding shortages have sharply limited educational opportunities for young DRC refugees, disrupting families’ efforts to rebuild their lives and provide for their children’s future. In Tanzanian refugee camps, underfunding has left classrooms in a state of disrepair and worsened overcrowding, with a teacher-student ratio of one to 297. In Angola, resources are so limited that educational activities reach only 50 per cent or 1,874, of targeted children. In Rwanda, many young refugees face barriers to education, with 266 unable to afford boarding fees for designated ‘schools of excellence’.
Water, sanitation and hygiene
Funding cuts have severely impacted water and sanitation services for DRC refugees. In Uganda, with increased arrivals and aging infrastructure, only two of 13 refugee settlements meet the minimum water standard of 20 litres per person daily. Without significant investment, up to 736,000 refugees and host community members in Uganda may have inadequate water access (less than 10 litres per day) and poor sanitation facilities, raising the risk of water-borne diseases like cholera. A similar crisis is unfolding in Angola’s Lovua settlement, where underfunding has left damaged boreholes unrepaired, resulting in water shortages and heightened tensions between refugees and host communities. In Tanzania, strained water sanitation infrastructure leaves latrine coverage far below minimum standards, with a ratio of one latrine for every 176 students in settlements—far from the minimum standard of 1:40.
Protection
Underinvestment has also disrupted registration and documentation services for DRC refugees, hampering access to protection, assistance and basic services. In Angola, limited resources and civil registry capacity have left over 1,000 refugees from the Lovua settlement unregistered, potentially depriving them of essential rights. Similarly, in the Republic of the Congo, about 3,000 refugees risk exclusion due to lack of registration and documentation services. In the long term, this lack of documentation may perpetuate vulnerability, limiting access to basic services or employment opportunities.