About us

Established in June 2004, the UK-based charity Friends of CME Trust seeks to relieve sickness and poverty in the north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The primary focus of the support is the Centre Medical Evangelique (CME) in its medical and educational work. The needs are vast, the resources are few, yet comparatively little can have a significant impact on the lives of many.

40 years of work was seriously threatened in 2002 when the Christian Medical Centre ("CME") in Nyankunde was caught up in the long-running war (which has claimed 3.5million lives) and was attacked. Following dispersion to 3 other sites in Aru, Beni and Bunia, CME is now seeking to rebuild its operations.

Where we work

The DRC

• Population: 54.4 million (UN, 2004)
• Capital: Kinshasa
• Area: 2.34m sq km (905,354 sq miles)
• Major languages: French, Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba
• Major religions: Christianity, Islam
• Life expectancy: 41 years (men), 43 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Congolese franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil
• GNI per capita: US $100 (World Bank, 2003)
• Internet domain: .cd
• International dialling code: +243