A BANDON woman is putting a suitcase and a water bottle under her Christmas tree to highlight the urgent humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the efforts of Christian Aid to help those most in need.

Charity fundraiser Olive Jennings, who is a member of Bandon Methodist Church, is raising awareness of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced from their homes in eastern Congo after fleeing fighting between armed groups and government forces.

Each year, Olive volunteers her time to help organise coffee mornings at Bandon Methodist Church’s Gateway Centre, to raise funds for Christian Aid.

Eastern Congo is facing a deepening hunger crisis with one in three people now struggling to get enough food to eat. Olive chose the suitcase and water bottle to emphasise just how few possessions people are often able to take with them when they are suddenly forced to flee their homes.

Chance is one of those who saw her world suddenly turned upside down. When fighting reached her village, Chance witnessed armed men loot her shop and attack her neighbour.

Chance, a mother-of-eight, escaped armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Now it’s a bitter battle to protect her children from hunger, malnutrition and deadly diseases.

Carrying her two-month-old on her back and rallying her seven other children, Chance set off in search of safety. She hasn’t seen her husband since she fled her home.

After walking with her children for 50 miles, Chance found relative safety in a camp for displaced people close to the town of Kalehe in South Kivu - a province in eastern DRC.

Now in a temporary shelter, she has nothing of value and fears her husband is dead. Despite having very young children to care for, Chance does agricultural work in nearby fields, earning around 50c a day to buy food for the family.

Chance and other displaced families in South Kivu have been supported by Christian Aid’s local partner, which has provided grants to help people afford the basics.

Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett thanked Olive for helping to raise awareness of the crisis in eastern DRC. She said:

‘We’re grateful to Olive for helping to highlight the urgent situation in DRC. With her suitcase, she shows just how meagre are the possessions that people can take with them when they flee from fighting,’ she said.

‘Here at home, we’re looking forward to our Christmas celebrations but in DRC, mothers like Chance and her children are struggling to feed themselves after escaping a brutal conflict.

‘The money Olive raises each year in Bandon helps us reach mothers like Chance and her children. With your support this Christmas, we could reach even more families.”    

To support Christian Aid’s work to reach mothers like Chance this Christmas, please visit caid.ie/Christmas.