“We Have Abandoned Them”: The Impact of Renewed Conflict and Funding Cuts on Women, Girls, and Women-Led Organizations in Eastern DRC

Since early 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen an escalation of violence against the backdrop of a broader, decades-long conflict. Decades of instability in the DRC have taken an especially heavy toll on the health and well-being of women and girls. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a defining feature of the conflict, and women and girls have historically experienced limited access to healthcare, disrupted education, and entrenched cycles of poverty. The complex challenges of the DRC’s escalating humanitarian situation have been further compounded by the sudden cuts in US foreign assistance in January 2025. The immense challenge of responding to increasing needs with fewer resources is particularly acute for DRC’s women-led organizations (WLOs), which remain the primary providers of services for women and girls in North and South Kivu. 

Drawing on secondary data, interviews with WLO representatives, and stories from impacted women, this report illustrates how the convergence of renewed conflict and sudden aid withdrawal has deepened existing gendered inequalities in the DRC. The research highlights how WLOs in eastern DRC have sustained communities in the DRC through successive waves of conflict, but are now facing an existential threat. The situation in the DRC demonstrates the fragility of a humanitarian system that has historically relied on local women’s labor while failing to invest in their security and institutional strength. The report ends with recommendations for policymakers, donors, and practitioners, calling for a peace process that addresses the root causes of conflict and gendered violence while enshrining the rights and protection of women and girls.