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Upcoming Projects
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 Women's Home
Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is often said that women have paid the highest price in the war that began in 1998, pitting government forces against rebels. Young soldiers from the dozens of factions that roam eastern Congo -- wired on cocaine, drunk from palm wine -- have turned rape into a primary weapon of war, as common as looting or setting a hut afire. Rape has even been encouraged by commanders as a way to gain control of such scarce resources as food, water and firewood, intimidating the women on a continent where women do nearly all the labor in the fields.
Rape has become so prevalent that some aid groups estimate that one in every three women are victims. Gang rape has been so violent, so systematic, so common in eastern Congo during the war that thousands of women are suffering from vaginal fistula, leaving them unable to control bodily functions and enduring ostracism and the threat of debilitating lifelong health problems.
Outreach to Africa is developing a “Women’s Home” model to bring hope in this desperate situation. The home will provide an accepting environment where these rape victims can receive physical rehabilitation through corrective surgeries, emotional counseling and life skills.
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