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A community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) for fighting onchocerciasis was started in 2003 in the hyperendemic province of Bandundu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); such initiative was supported by the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC). As the APOC stopped at the end of 2015, there was an urgent need to assess the sustainability of an ivermectin treatment.A cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitude and perception was conducted to determine the awareness level of local population regarding the disease. A multi-stage random sampling technique allowed the selection of 450 heads of households.Most respondents (96.9%) knew about onchocerciasis as a disease. The black-fly was viewed as the causing agent of onchocerciasis by 49.9% of respondents. The most commonly cited clinical manifestations were nodules (34.4%) and pruritus (31.1%), while blindness was the most frequently reported complication (90.7%). Approximately 55.1% of respondents had a good knowledge of onchocerciasis and CDTI. Overall, only 37% of participants had a favourable attitude and 46% a positive perception. Good knowledge was associated with school attendance (adjusted OR = 1.9, 95%CI: 1.3–2.8, p = 0.001), while education and continuation of treatment were related with good attitude (adjusted OR = 9.7, 95%CI:4.8–19.5 and adjusted OR = 19.8, 95%CI: 9.7–40.6, respectively, both with p