Humanitarian assistance to displaced families

Thanks to your generous donations, Mwendo Congo sent a $12,000 grant to partner Let Africa Live in response to the dire humanitarian crisis in North Kivu, DRC.  They immediately identified recipients, purchased goods, and distributed them in five villages outside of Bukavu.  300 households received food staples and other necessities, 100 children were given clothing, and 15 women now have feminine hygiene kits.  All those gathered at the distribution site also participated in activities to equip them with simple psychosocial methods for coping with the unspeakable stress they face each day.

To you, the recipients say, "Thank you for being a beacon of light in our times of confusion and sorrow.  You are a blessing to our life and this world."

Connect with the tireless Let Africa Live staff and the people they serve by watching this 4-minute video they shared with us.

Vision:

Mwendo Congo envisions conscious and equity-driven relationships between the people of the US and the DRC. We come alongside Congolese leaders in health work and education as our valued guides and companions in the effort to address legacies of colonialism and racial injustice, and their particular impact on Congolese youth and women.

Mission:  

To promote community development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through health work, education, and relationship building between the people of the U.S. and the DRC.

What We Do:

• Support job skill development and trauma healing of Congolese youth impacted by ongoing armed conflict in the DRC.

• Increase access to health care for underserved communities, with special focus on women and children.

• Organize exchanges between the USA and the DRC to raise awareness and build solidarity

Context:

The DRC is in the middle of a long political and economic crisis caused by repeated wars and armed conflicts.  The principal victims of this violence and instability have been women and children.  In spite of the DRC’s ratification of the UN Conventions on Women’s and Children’s Rights, women have been and continue to be raped and sexually exploited by militias, while children are recruited to fight as soldiers.  Since the conflict began in 1996 more than 6 million people have died, more than 400,000 women and girls have been raped, and more than 30,000 boys and girls have been used as child soldiers.

Accomplishments:

  • Mwendo Congo raised funds to buy sewing machines and other materials for 10 graduates of the Let Africa Live (LAV) tailor training program. These "insertion kits" equip graduates to start their own businesses.

  • Land on Idjwi Island has been purchased and dedicated to the purpose of promoting health in the community. A local organization has been formed around this initiative with the ultimate goal of building a clinic for this underserved community.

  • Mwendo Congo raised funds for a building project in partnership with Let Africa Live that provides housing for 20 female students and their children as they receive vocational training. Learn more and see pictures here.

  • Mwendo Congo helped purchase a water taxi on Lake Kivu to transport women in need of maternal care to and from Idjwi Island.

  • A central production site and training center with modernized equipment in carpentry, welding and auto mechanics is now a reality thanks to $155,000 in donations from Mwendo Congo supporters.  Read more here. 

  • A delivery truck, new machinery, building supplies, safety equipment, and staffing to train 10 carpenters were funded with a $70,000 grant. Read more about the project and its impacts here.

  • Mwendo Congo has granted nearly $400,000 to projects supporting health, education, and peace in the DRC. As an all-volunteer organization, our expenses are low, so almost all of your donation dollars go directly to Congolese-led projects in the DRC.

We Want You!

We would love to have new people engage in the work of Mwendo Congo.  We are seeking new board members, advisors in financial management and fundraising, hosts for fundraising house parties, a 10th anniversary planning team, and more.  Interested?  Contact us by sending an email to info@mwendocongo.org for a conversation about how you might get involved.