Democratic Republic of Congo

New Program in 2009

The installation of an elected government in 2007 in the Democratic Republic of Congo presents the greatest opportunity since independence for a stable democracy in this country. However, the country faces many serious health challenges after decades of unrest, armed conflicts, and civil war.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has a population of 70 million people and is growing rapidly with a 3.2 percent annual growth rate.  Almost 50 percent of the population is under the age of 15, and life expectancy is only about 55 years for women and 49 years for men.

The typical family has about 6 children, and the contraceptive prevalency rate for modern methods among all women is a startlingly low 6 percent.  The infant mortality rate for children under five years of age is 9 percent. 

The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is low but growing.  Among adults ages 15-49, 3.2 percent are infected, and there are an estimated one million people living with HIV/AIDS, 120,000 of whom are under 14 years of age.

George Simpson is the new director of DKT’s program in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Previously, he spent nearly 20 years in Nigeria working for hospitals and private sector companies.  Today, he is in the process of establishing an office to begin social marketing family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs in a very poor country with a very limited health infrastructure.