Twenty-three tonnes of HIV and tuberculosis medicines reached eastern Congo this week after months of people going without treatment because of fighting and looting, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The drugs went to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where health clinics had been stripped bare and patients were running out of options. Thousands of people who depend on these medicines to stay alive can finally get back on treatment. It’s been a nightmare for anyone with HIV or tuberculosis in a region that was already struggling before the latest round of violence.
The M23 rebellion has torn apart eastern DRC since January, forcing over 4 million people to flee their homes and killing more than 7,000. Kids can’t go to school – 375,000 of them are stuck without classrooms. Women face horrific violence, with more than 60 sexual assault cases reported every day. Banks shut down, roads got destroyed, and hospitals ran out of everything they need to keep people alive.
This shipment included the antiretroviral drugs that HIV patients need to survive, along with tuberculosis treatments and testing supplies. For months, people have been showing up at clinics only to find empty shelves and overwhelmed staff with nothing to give them. UNDP‘s Damien Mama said this delivery means more than just getting medicine to sick people – it’s about giving communities hope again after everything they’ve been through.
The medicines are part of a bigger three-year program that UNDP and the Global Fund are running across Congo to fight HIV and tuberculosis. They want to cut down new infections, reduce deaths, and stop the discrimination that makes life even harder for people dealing with these diseases. Right now, 6.1 million people in the region need emergency help to get back on their feet.
UNDP has put together a $25.6 million plan to help eastern Congo recover over the next six months. They want to help displaced families return home, get basic services working again, protect women from violence, and help communities stop fighting each other. They’ve raised about $14.6 million but still need another $11 million to make it all happen.
