Lack of Health Care  

•    37% (18.5 million) of the Congolese people do not  have access to medical care  

•    life expectancy is 45 years   

•    national maternal mortality is 1837 per 100,000 live births, one of the worst in the world
•    only 45% have access to safe drinking water   

Children's Health  

•     malaria, preventable and curable, is the leading killer of children under five years of age

•    34% of children under five are malnourished

•    infant mortality rate is near 10%

Challenges in Education

•   approximately one-third of the population aged 16 and over is illiterate.      

•   almost one-half of the population is 15 years of age or under

•   4 out of 10 children are not in school due to poverty, sickness, or displacement.

Agriculture 

•   97% of the population is sustainance farmers

•    winter is a dry season where no crops are grown

•    fertilizer is generally too expensive to use

•    modern agricultural practices are not used;  no tractors, no modern machinery etc. 

Poverty and Economic Opportunities

•   80% of the population lives on less than 50 cents a day
•   banks do not exist outside of the large cities