Life is Beautiful in DRC, That’s Why We are Working to Preserve It

Many of you have seen the photographs coming out of the Democratic Republic of Congo with the hashtag #lifeisbeautiful. The goal of posting these photos is to change the perception of how the outside world sees DRC. For years we have heard about the atrocities that have taken place there and the millions of lives lost to curable and preventable disease. What we seldom hear about is the beauty and resilience of the Congolese culture. It’s important for us to see both sides of the story. The wars are over, DRC is rebuilding and IMA is playing a huge role in constructing and transforming health infrastructure in the country. The Access to Primary Health Care Project (ASSP), a $283 million project funded by UK Aid (DFID), seeks to improve primary health care in 56 health zones in five provinces – Kasai Occidental, Maniema, Equateur, Oriental and South Kivu – for a population of 8.3 million people. ASSP has just completed its first year and already we are seeing some promising results. This is the story behind the people in the photos and the impact that IMA has had on each of their lives.