Food for Mamma Josephine's orphans and milk for the babies!

My favourite part of running the 'Congo Orphans Trust' project is when I receive an email from one of my colleagues in the Congo who has taken all of your generous donations and done something wonderful with it like buy food for orphans or milk for hungry babies.

Check out these photos of food being delivered to Mamma Josephine's orphans, the receipts which I get sent so I can keep track of spending and a wonderful homemade thank you sign.

The children have been given rice, beans, potatoes, sugar, cassava, soja, oil, and firewood to cook on.

One of the twins is still in hospital but this little one can enjoy a nice bottle of formula.

Milk time!

Receipts showing what they spent the $300 on.

Although it says THANK YOU HANNAH, it should really say THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU!!

We still have $1,200 remaining which is going to be used to fund a soap making project at the orphanage that the older children can get involved in so they can begin to support themselves by making and selling soap in the local town and using the profits to buy food for the orphans. More information and photos of that project to follow.

Hannah x

Over £1,000 raised to help children at Mamma Josephine's orphanage

Donations have been flooding in all week following the news that Mamma Josephine had suddenly passed away leaving 35 orphans without anyone to take care of them or buy them food. It has been such a sad week but I'm so pleased to announce that thanks to all your generous donations we have managed to raise just over £1,000 to buy food for the children and to fund a soap making project that the older children at the orphanage can get involved in, with supervision from Philippe and Maajabu who work for an NGO in Butembo and Jean Claude who is a local chemist.

Projects like this are of great worth in the Congo as it is important for orphanages to find ways to support themselves rather than replying exclusively on foreign donations to buy food for the children. Also, many of these children will struggle to get jobs once they are old enough to leave the orphanage so work experience from being involved in projects like this will be a real advantage for them.

Once the project is up and running I'll post some photos but in the meantime I'm going to send them some money to buy food for the little ones and milk for the babies just while they get through this very difficult time.

Thanks again for all your support and incredibly generous donations. None of this would be possible without your help!

Hannah x

Mamma Josephine sadly passes away...

Almost a year ago today while I was visiting orphanages in the Congo I was fortunate enough to meet an incredibly brave, strong woman called Mamma Josephine who, despite having almost no money, had taken 50 orphans into her home to look after them and feed them and send them to school.

Such was her devotion to the needs of orphans that recently, upon hearing that 2 babies (4 month old twins) had been found in a field next to the body of their mother who had been killed by rebels, Mamma Josephine took these babies into her home and promised to care for them along with all her other orphans until they were old enough to take care of themselves.

Sadly, Mamma Jospehine passed away suddenly last week and now these 50 children, including the 2 babies, are orphans once more and have no one to take care of them. We are raising money to buy food for them while they try to find someone else to take care of them or find new homes for the babies and the youngest children. We will also help to cover costs of medicine for those that are sick.

Here is a photo of Mamma Josephine with some of her children last year. The men in the photos are with local NGOs who help us to support not just this orphanage but many others across the Congo.

Here is a photo of myself, Mamma Noella, Roda and Mamma Josephine at a clinic for disabled clinic in Butembo last year. Mamma Josephine was a quiet lady who rarely smiled but I remember her face when we delivered food, school supplies and mattresses to her and her children and she lit up like the sun!

Goodbye Mamma Josephine. You will be missed. May you rest in peace safe in the knowledge that we are watching over your children.

xxx