Who are we?
We are a UK based charity seeking to relieve sickness and poverty by supporting health and education in the north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Where do we work?
Recent Blog Posts.
Our Mission- what do we do?
Our primary support is directed towards the Centre Medical Evangelique (CME)hospital and it’s medical and educational work. The charity’s efforts are crucial in a region with vast needs, limited resources, and where even small contributions can have a significant impact on the lives of many. We also increasingly support the education of children affected by conflict in the region.
Our primary support is directed towards the Centre Medical Evangelique (CME)hospital and it’s medical and educational work. The charity’s efforts are crucial in a region with vast needs, limited resources, and where even small contributions can have a significant impact on the lives of many. We also increasingly support the education of children affected by conflict in the region.
Centre Medical Evangelique
The Centre Médical Evangélique (CME) founded by local churches in 1966, has faced significant challenges over decades. Serving a vast region, it was a hub for medical care and education. However, wars since 1996 and a brutal attack in 2002 led to destruction and mass casualties, disrupting its operations. Despite this, CME has resiliently rebuilt Nyankunde hospital and added hospital sites in Beni and Bunia, offering essential medical services and medical education. The ongoing crisis in the DRC underscores CME’s critical role in providing healthcare amid adversity.
Our Programme – how we do it?
We support various projects, to alleviate the impact of poverty, across three broad themes: medical provision, hospital construction and education.
Hospital Construction
After the destruction of Nyankunde hospital in 2002, how did CME continue its medical care?
Discover the amazing history behind the hospital, the tragedy of the destruction of the original site, and our progress so far in creating a sustainable hospital for the future.
Click here to learn more.Projects
Medical provision
In one of the poorest parts of the world, with no state funding of heath care, how do patients manage to pay for their health care?
We’ve been supporting the medical work across the hospitals since 2004 by funding consultations, beds and surgery for patients, supporting an HIV/AIDS testing programme, sponsoring medical students, and providing equipment and materials.
In recent years, our main focus has been on providing a fund for CME staff to help pay for the poorest patients who would otherwise be unable to afford treatment.
Education
In one of the poorest parts of the world, with no state funding of education, how do families manage to pay for their children’s schooling and university?
As families returned to Nyankunde, we helped teachers re-open schools by paying their salaries.In recent years, we have concentrated on paying the exam fees for orphans at Nyankunde.
Due to terrorist activities around Beni and a neighbouring village, Oicha, many orphaned children were in serious danger. Since 2016, we work to ensure children from the Beni and Oicha area can go to school by paying their school fees, providing food for their foster familes and trauma counselling to the children.
“We have been able to give over £1.1million to Centre Medical Evangelique (CME) over the years since we formed the charity. And yet, despite our hopes and prayers, the never-ending challenges in North-East DRC make it hard for CME to become independent.”
Chris Almond
Trustee, Friends of CME