Reality for many of Congo's children;

The negative spiral of wars in The Congo, have left the country with many orphaned children. The loss of six million people has left many orphans who have no future and depend on international organizations, churches and programs to give them support. The estimate for orphans in the Democratic Republic of Congo at 4.2 million! (The population of Rome is 4.3 million.)

   “The United Nations estimates that tens of thousands of children in the Congo are fighting in armed groups, they are promised food, money or other benefits to the family.”   (Child Slaves in the Modern World)

            “Orphan-headed households are becoming increasingly common. As victims of discrimination, most of these children have no choice but to seek work, whatever the conditions, in order to survive.” (World of Child Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey)

            In eastern Congo, education is destroyed completely, many villages have no school. These villages are in unstable areas, therefore making it impossible to find someone who would teach there.

          The long term effects of these realities are devastating to the society of DRC. (I would say both now and for the future!)