Purposeful was born at the height of the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone. The sweat, toil and organizing of girls and young women through that crisis is encoded in our DNA.  As a new outbreak intensifies in the DRC, we know we must stand with them and, more importantly, resource their work. Our shared humanity literally depends on it. 

We saw how Ebola intensified conditions left behind by the decade-long civil war, placing extraordinary pressure on already fragile social systems and communities. We saw adolescent pregnancy rise sharply, exploding rates of sexual violence, transactional sex and child marriage tripling overnight. 

We are still bearing witness to these legacies every day. But this is only one half of the story. Because girls are never just passive victims. 

In Sierra Leone, as in the rest of the world, it was the girls and young women who stepped in and stepped up when formal systems collapsed, and traditional aid agencies struggled to reach those most impacted. 

Girls and young women are so often the backbone of humanitarian infrastructure - but they’re rarely seen as part of the architecture of crisis funding.

We see history repeating itself in the DRC. But another way is possible.

Young Congolese feminists are already responding

For decades, communities across DRC have endured cycles of violence rooted in militarization, resource exploitation, and colonial legacies. Since early 2025, the situation has sharply deteriorated, with more than 7,000 people reportedly killed and 8.2 million displaced, making this one of the largest forced migration crises on the planet.

Now, an Ebola outbreak is deepening an already devastating humanitarian crisis. In just days there have been more than 230 deaths, and rapid dissemination and mortality rate led to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification as a public health emergency of international concern.

As one grantee partner wrote to us just days ago,

“We were already struggling with living under a rebel government and the risk of violence escalating daily, and now this, Ebola, has come. We don’t know how our communities are going to survive.” - Young Congolese feminist organizer in Goma

And yet, local young feminist organizers on the ground are leading lifesaving crisis response work to support the most vulnerable with courage and care.

They’re reaching girls and families who have no one else to turn to.

What you can do to help

We’ve been resourcing girl and young feminist organizers in DRC for years.

Now, through our humanitarian rapid response stream at The Global Resilience Fund, we’re working around the clock to move emergency funds, and we need you to join us.