Mission Congo - The movie!

I can't believe it has been almost 3 months since I returned from the Congo. Where has the time gone?!

I've been busy watching through all the footage I filmed on my video camera during my trip and have finally finished editing a short movie that shows some of the highlights of the trip and also shows the main orphanages, schools and clinics I visited. You'll see the big differences between those that are relatively well funded and those that are desperately in need of financial support.

I hope you enjoy watching it and if you have any questions or comments then please message me!

Thanks

Hannah

Pineapples, bananas and milk for the orphans of Beni...

This week we have organised another food drop for the orphans of Beni. As usual we have provided them with basic items such as rice, beans, maize, cassava and oil but none of these foods are particularly high in vitamins which the orphans need to stay healthy so we also bought bananas and pineapples which are full of vitamins A, B and C and milk powder for the little ones so they can grow strong bones.

Roda in particular needs to get as much calcium and vitamins in her diet as possible to help her as she continues to receive medical treatment to get her to walk. You can see in the next 2 photos how much stronger her legs look and she is finally able to sit up straight on a stool instead of sitting on the floor with her legs all twisted out to the side of her.

She is making great progress with her treatment and is due to go back to the clinic in Butembo for a follow up consultation in early August so we will keep you updated of her progress.

In the mean time we are working with local NGO 'REACH Italia' to create and financially support a project that will enable Mamma Noella to earn enough money to be able to provide food for the orphans each week instead of having to rely on donations. More info to follow soon...

A wonderful update on Roda...

Who remembers Roda, the little 2 year old girl at the orphanage in Beni who couldn't walk or even stand when I first met her back in April? Here is a photo of her the first day I ever saw her with 2 other orphans, Joseph and Exalice. I remember she was sat on the ground with her legs twisted to the side in an unnatural position. When I picked her up her little legs were wobbly like jelly and as I tried to stand her up her legs just crumpled beneath her and flopped to the side...

I was so concerned about her and what her life would be like if she was never able to walk that I insisted we took her to a special clinic for people with disabilities in Butembo. This clinic has doctors that are experienced in treating children with disabilities and helping them learn to walk, as best they can, sometimes with aids such as walkers and crutches.

Because the clinic was a few hours drive away and Roda would need to stay there to be treated every day, the mother of the orphanage, Mamma Noella, had to leave the rest of the children behind and go and stay with Roda in Butembo for 2 months. It has been a tough time for everyone but we continued to support both Mamma Noella & Roda and also the rest of the children in the orphanage by making regular food drops both in Beni and in Butembo.

During the 2 months at the clinic, Roda received daily massage therapy and also spent a lot of time tied to a standing board which, though rudimentary in its design, is a great way to strengthen her legs to enable her to stand and support her own weight.

Here is a photo of her tied to the standing board:

And here is a photo of her during her physiotherapy sessions with her 'mamma', Mamma Noella:

I'm very pleased to announce that after 2 months in Butembo Mamma Noella and little Roda have now returned to Beni and everyone has been reunited at the orphanage. The best news is that the 2 months of a high calorie diet and daily treatment of massage therapy and standing board have worked well and Roda can now stand and her legs are strong enough to support her own weight.

Here is a photo of Roda at the clinic in Butembo standing up and holding on to the side of a wheelchair:

Kakule told me yesterday that if you hold Roda's hands she is now starting to throw her leg forward which is the beginning stage of starting to walk so the doctor in Butembo is very hopefully that in time and with continued treatment, which she will now receive in Beni, Roda will one day be able to walk.

Hearing that news and seeing the photo of Roda standing up is absolutely wonderful and I am so thankful to all the doctors who have worked so hard to help her and to all of you who made donations that meant we could pay for her care and treatment. 

Roda will continue to visit the clinic in Butembo, starting off with monthly visits, so they can monitor her progress. They say that she won't need a wheelchair although she will need a walker to aid her as she continues to get stronger and learn to walk and this is something that we are now trying to find, raise funds to buy and send to her. 

If anyone would like to help or make a donation to support our work then please contact me through our facebook page: www.facebook.com/missioncongo

Thanks!

School, school, school...

Nothing is more important for orphans in the Congo than getting the opportunity to go to school and get an education, which is why we are focusing a lot of our time and money on paying school fees and also delivering much needed school supplies to orphans that simply could not afford these things without our help.

Over the last couple of weeks we've been sent some wonderful photos and updates from the Congo. First from Walikale which is one place that I was unable to visit due to both a change in my flight schedule and also the security situation on the ground. The team that I was working with in Goma (UGADEC) finally managed to get my box of school supplies to the orphans there and here are some photos of them all with their new books, pencils and crayons...

Another box of supplies also made it to Uvira which I didn't make it to as I was so ill with Typhoid fever. Here are some wonderful photos that Stany took with the children he is helping there including one beautiful and very touching personal message of thanks...

Finally we made a donation to Mamma Josephine's orphanage in Butembo to pay for the school fees of these 4 children who are in their final year of primary school so that they can take their examinations which they need to pass before they can go to secondary school.

Without our help (and the generous donations from all of you) we couldn't afford to help them and they would have to stop going to school so on behalf of Tavunirima, Mbokani, Kataliko and Manegabe I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has made a donation to help orphans in the Congo... we really are making a difference!

More food for orphans in Beni...

Today we delivered more food to the orphans in Beni. For the last 6 weeks, while Mamma Noella has been living at the clinic in Butembo with little Roda, the remaining 19 orphans at this small orphanage in Beni have had to look after themselves. We have been helping by bringing them food so the older children could still go to school everyday and also look after the little ones.

Basic food items such as rice, beans, cassava and bananas made up most of the delivery along with oil and firewood to use on the new stove we had built a couple of weeks ago. A few onions and tomatoes completed the food drop.

Here are a few photos of the children with the food and also one of our driver Roger who made the food drop. Check out the photo of the little boy wearing the Oxford United T-shirt!

Thanks to everyone for your donations and support!

A new cooking area for the orphanage in Beni...

Last week we were told that the area where the children cook at the orphanage in Beni was in very poor condition making it almost impossible to use to cook food.

Here is a photo showing how bad it was:

So we used $30 of the Mission Congo project money to buy bricks, sand and cement for the cooking area to be repaired:

And here is the final result all ready to be cooked on:

Such a small thing that makes such a bug difference to these orphans. 

Thanks again for all the support!

Double food drops for Mamma Noella & the orphans in Beni...

Another two weeks has past since our last food drop at Mamma Noella's orphanage. This time it was a double drop with food being delivered to the children at the orphanage in Beni to keep them going for another 2 weeks and a separate food drop to Mamma Noella and Roda at the clinic in Butembo to keep them going for the next month while Roda receives more treatment.

Here are the children in Beni with their supplies of rice, beans, cassava, bananas, onions, tomatoes, oil and firewood. Total spend = $100:

Here is Mamma Noella and Roda with their food delivery of rice, beans, soja, cassava, milk, oil, sugar firewood and washing powder. Total spend = $100:

There was also enough money left to buy Roda some new sandals which is great as fingers crossed as her treatment continues she will be able to start walking so will need some shoes:

She is doing well and is gaining weight and continues to receive physiotherapy 3 times a week to try to help her to walk.

Meanwhile, we are busy arranging and paying for the cooking area at the orphanage in Beni to be rebuilt as it is damaged meaning that they are unable to cook on it. We are also making arrangements to support some orphans in Butembo who are in their final year of primary school but cannot afford to pay for the cost of their final examinations. 

More details and photos of these projects will follow...