Amid Escalating Humanitarian Crisis in DRC, Direct Relief Provides $25,000 Emergency Aid to Goma Health Clinic

Staff at Jericho Road's Wellness Clinic fill medical prescriptions in the clinic's on-site pharmacy. Located in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Wellness Clinic offers services ranging from primary health care to health education. Direct Relief is supporting the clinic emergency funds as the region experiences an escalation in violence and unrest. (Photo courtesy of Jericho Road Community Health Center)

By Staff

March 10, 2025

In response to escalating humanitarian needs and worsening conflict, Direct Relief has provided emergency funding to support medical care and staffing at a health center operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Jericho Road Wellness Clinic in Goma will receive $25,000 from Direct Relief for the local procurement of essential emergency medical supplies, including antibiotics, critical healthcare products, and medicines for chronic disease management. The grant is intended to cover the immediate medical needs for clinic patients until regular shipments are able to reach the team at Jericho Road.

The clinic, which offers essential health services, has seen an increase in patients, many of whom are internally displaced persons, or IDPs. HUntil recently, hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals lived in IDP camps surrounding Goma. However, these camps have now been evacuated and destroyed, further displacing residents as unrest from rebel groups continues to impact Goma and nearby regions.

Jericho Road staff reported health workers sleeping at the clinics to make sure they can provide services consistently to patients in need, as transportation to and from the clinics has been interrupted by military checkpoints.

Since the end of January, when the M23 militia captured Goma, the local airport has been closed, disrupting regular shipments to Jericho Road and other Direct Relief partners in the area. At the time of the airport’s shuttering, six Direct Relief shipments were underway to Goma. These shipments have now been rerouted to the airport in Kigali, Rwanda to be trucked to Goma.

“This work in Goma and across the globe would not be possible without the continuous and unwavering support of Direct Relief. We are so grateful,” said Fidele Menavanza, Jericho Road Community Health Center’s Chief Compliance and Global Health Officer.

Direct Relief has supported the Jericho Road clinic in Goma since 2016, including a recent mpox prevention program implemented by Jericho Road. The program provided critical education, outreach, and prevention support to large encampments of internally displaced people near Goma.

In addition to addressing mpox, Direct Relief has partnered with Jericho Road during previous public health emergencies, including the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC in 2019.