Christmas in the Congo

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This year we wanted to make it a special day for as many orphans as we could in the Congo so we raised money to help buy presents and food for the children at Beni orphanage.

The children loved their gifts and enjoyed playing football in the sunshine...

After all that playing they sat down for a Christmas day feast...

Thanks to everyone who donated money to make this a Christmas to remember for these orphans. We really appreciate your support! xx

Congo Orphans Trust delivers water filters to schools in Beni

Our water filter project is going so well that we have now given water filters to orphanages and medical clinics all over Beni. To ensure that orphans and other children have access to clean drinking water all day long we recently donated water filters to pre schools, primary schools and secondary schools throughout Beni and are continuing to make more filters so we can make sure that every school in Beni has clean safe drinking water for the children that live there.

The first schools to receive water filters were Madrandele pre-school, Mapambazuko primary school and Kanzuli primary school.

Here are some photos of the children at school when the water filters arrived...

Already our next batch of water filters are ready to go...!!

Thanks to everyone who donated to Congo Orphans Trust and helped make this project a reality.

If you would like to make a donation please visit www.congoorphanstrust.org and go to our 'donate' page.

Thanks!!

Congo Orphans Trust buys school supplies for orphans in Beni

Thanks to donations from some very generous supporters, Congo Orphans Trust has been able to buy school supplies for many of the orphans in Beni who have been affected by the recent massacres.

School bags, books, pens, pencils, slates and chalk were just some of the items given to the children so they can go to school and continue their education.

At Congo Orphans Trust we really believe that the best way we can help these orphans is to give them an education. If you would like to donate just £3 per month to Congo Orphans Trust then we can pay the school fees for 1 orphan to go to school, changing their life for the better.

Please visit www.congoorphanstrust.org to sign up to our monthly donation scheme.

Thanks!

Hundreds more orphans in Beni as deadly attacks continue

Over the past year increasing numbers of deadly attacks in the town of Beni, where I spent much of my time when I was in the Congo, have left more than 200 children orphaned.

I won't post photos of the attacks on here as they are incredibly graphic and very, very sad but if you would like to read about the attacks by rebels on the Congolese people then please read about it here:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/scores-hacked-death-machete-attack-dr-congo-160814133550565.html

These orphans are now living at a number of different orphanages in Beni including Paida, Siwako, Mamma Monique's, Mamma Noella's and a new orphanage specially set up for orphans of the massacre victims called Mamma Marie's.

We have been doing what we can to help these orphans including buying food and clothes and thanks to an order of another 10 water filters from Friendly water for the world we have been able to pay the registration fees to send 28 orphans to school.

We now desperately need more funding to help cover the school fees for these children over the next year. If anyone can help by donating just £3 pounds every month to send a child to school that would be amazing. Such a small amount can make such a huge difference in a child's life.

Please visit www.congoorphanstrust.org to set up a monthly donation.

Thanks!

Monthly donations help buy food for Rwese orphans

Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters, this month we were able to send money to Rwese orphanage so they could buy food for the children living there.

As many of you know, Rwese orphanage lost it's international funding last year so we have been trying to help the 50 orphans that live there as much as possible by helping to pay for their school fees and and buying them food as often as we can.

Here are some of the children with bags of rice, beans, soja, potatoes, oil and salt. 

They can't afford luxuries like meat and vegetables. Their staple diet is potatoes and beans. 

And don't forget CASSAVA. They love their cassava in the Congo! 

Made from a root which is ground up to make a power that they mix with water to make a kind of stretchy bread, cassava has to be washed and laid out in the sun for many days until it dries. Huge sheets covered with drying cassava roots is a common sight in the Congo and even the youngest of children know how to make it.

Thanks to everyone who has donated money recently and has enabled us to buy food for these little ones.

If you would like to help by making a donation it's really easy to do. All you have to do is visit our website at www.congoorphanstrust.org. Many of our supporters choose to make a monthly donation. You can give as little or as much as you can afford, even just £1 a month!

What a great way to show that you care.

American charity donates funding for 10 water filters for children's clinics

I have some great news for our Congo Orphans Trust supporters...

Our water filter project is going really well and we recently received a donation from American charity 'Friendly Water for the World' to make 10 bio-sand water filters to be given to 10 children's clinics in and around Beni.

This is such great news. By drinking clean water these children can stop suffering from water-borne illnesses such as cholera and can start living healthier and happier lives. 

These really are such amazing filters and I have a great photo here to show you what a huge difference they make. Just take a look at the following photo and see the difference in the colour of the water that is going in and the water that is coming out! More importantly than that, the filter removes 99% of all water-borne pathogens making the water safe to drink. 

The best news is that because we had already raised the money for the materials, after paying our team we had money left over to give to Rwese orphanage to pay for school fees for the children living there! 

Thanks Friendly water for the world for your donation! Photos to follow...

For more information check out their website at: www.friendlywater.net

Kibumba update: Orphans with cholera are getting better!

I have received an update on the situation in Kibumba from Dr Kambale who has been helping the orphans that are sick with cholera. The good news is that thanks to all of your generous donations and the speed at which we were able to send money to buy medicines, no more children have died and many are well enough to leave the hospital and return home to the orphanage. 6 orphans are still quite poorly and need to stay at the hospital a bit longer but hopefully they will be well enough to return home soon.

The children have sent their wishes of thanks and have asked for photos of the people that helped them which I have sent to Dr Kambale. I have asked him to take photos of the children once they are better and will post them on here as soon as I can.

To everyone who gave money to help save these little ones I thank you with all my heart xx

URGENT NEWS: CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN DRC - CAN YOU HELP??

An outbreak of cholera in Kibumba has left hundreds of children sick and some have already died. We are desperately trying to treat as many children as we can but need donations to cover medicine and hospital treatment. If you can spare any amount to help save a child's life then please go to our website: www.congoorphanstrust.org and click on the donate page. Thank you xx

Congo Orphans Trust delivers clean water and food to orphans in the Congo

Thanks to our supporters who make monthly donations to Congo Orphans Trust, we have been able to buy 2 more water filters from our water filter project which means that children at 2 more orphanages in the Congo now have access to clean drinking water and children at Rwese orphanage have received another delivery of food!

The water filters were donated to Paida orphanage and Oicha orphanage in Beni. Here are some photos from Paida orphanage:

Photos from Oicha and Rwese to follow.

Thanks to everyone who continues to support Congo Orphans Trust in helping orphans in the Congo.

If you would like to sign up to make a one off or monthly donation please visit our website:www.congoorphanstrust.org.

Thanks!

More water filters have been delivered to orphanages in the Congo

Thanks to generous donations from Carole Teifel and Sarah & Gordon Burgess-Parker, we have been able to deliver water filters to 2 more orphanages in the Congo.

Children at Mamma Monique's orphanage and Siwako orphanage will now be able to drink clean, safe water which will prevent them from getting sick from water-borne diseases.

You might recognise some of these children from my earlier posts as I visited both orphanages in Beni while I was there.

Here are some photos of the children using their new water filters...

Mamma Monique's orphanage:

Siwako orphanage:

If you would like to donate £40 to buy a water filter for an orphanage or make a small donation towards a water filter, please visit www.congoorphanstrust.org. As with all water filter donations, 50% of the money goes towards feeding children at Rwese orphanage while the other 50% goes to making more filters.

Thanks!