Our support of orphans is currently in two areas:
Nyankunde area
Initially, as people returned to Nyankunde after the massacre there, we helped pay teachers’ salaries to encourage them back into schools. Over time, the DRC government has funded the vast majority of the salaries, so our focus changed to the orphaned children whose families were struggling to pay their exam fees at the end of their primary and secondary schools.
Last year in 2023/24, we paid for 145 childrens’ exams at a cost of just over $3,000. Here’s a photo of some of the secondary children who were helped:
Beni and Oicha area
In 2017, militia and terrorist activity around Beni and Oicha resulted in hundreds of deaths, displacement and homeless orphans. The children had lost either one or both their parents in militia attacks. Many of them were severely traumatised having witnessed the murder of their parents and some having been kidnapped as child soldiers. They needed counselling. Our friend Daniel Masumbuko’s team had been involved in Christian reconciliation work among the warring tribes and had known many blessings from God through a program teaching forgiveness and peace. They saw that these skills could be transferred to help the orphans.
The children had found new homes, sometimes with foster families, but the families needed help paying for school fees, school uniforms and materials. Early on in the program, the schoolteachers found that the children were not thriving at school because they were so hungry. Therefore, we provided a daily meal for the family during the school year. In holidays, most children work to assist their families, harvesting in their fields. We have supported between 200-350 children a year at an annual cost of £90-£100 per child. Last school year, 2023/24, the 280 orphans cost £28,000. The orphans have
- had their school fees fully paid;
- received school text books;
- received a daily meal with their host families; and
have also benefitted from trauma counselling to help heal the wounds of losing parents.
It is impossible to judge what the impact will be on the lives of these orphans. What we do know is that they would be incredibly vulnerable if they were not in school. The team which oversees the project, told us last year that if we couldn’t raise all the funds needed, the priority was to pay school fees before food. Otherwise, the children would be vulnerable to trafficking, joining the militia groups or begging on streets.
We also know that, without the daily food, the children were struggling to concentrate in school. The counselling has meant that we have stories from children who have:
- experienced some of the joys of childhood restored;
- who have been healed from the terrible shocks they experienced on losing parents;
- who have learned to forgive, not seek revenge.
Many have a new hope for the future, not only from their education, but because they really know they are cared for and precious. Added to this is the spiritual healing that many have found as they experience love and care and learn about a God of justice and love.The initial goals of that program were to keep the children safe from further harm – trafficking, child soldiers, prostitution, etc. – having just lost their parents to terrorists. The program achieved this by:
- Paying for their school fees, uniforms, and basic equipment;
- Providing food for the children and their host families; and
- Daniel Masumbuko’s team providing trauma counselling and Biblical teaching on forgiveness.
From time to time we receive short videos showing progress of this project. The videos can be found here on our Youtube channel
Here’s our latest videos : July 2024
https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsofCMETrust
And from 2023: