JUDY WOODRUFF:

Tonight, we begin a three-part series entitled Congo's Hope.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world's poorest countries as a result of colonialism, misrule and, most recently, war, and this despite being endowed with precious natural resources.

Our series marks the debut of NewsHour's contributing editor Soledad O'Brien.

She begins the series in Goma, a city on the shores of Lake Kivu, and the place where Congolese NBA player Bismack Biyombo returned this summer.