Espoir Congo
Project Managers: Gino Dominic Volpe, Clotilde Marie Volpe
With its history of civil unrest, it’s an understatement that the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have suffered enormously. Sixty percent of the population of the capital, Kinshasa, are children, and many daily wander the streets scrounging for a living, each day more vulnerable than the last.
Espoir Congo (Espoir being "Hope" in French) cares for orphaned and underprivileged children in the village of Kikimi, just outside Kinshasa, in collaboration with a Congolese association, SABEC.
Following is a brief description of the orphan related programs Espoir Congo conducts:
- Feeding scheme: Weekly distribution of food, plus a free breakfast is served 4 times a week to all the school children.
- Medical care: Espoir Congo's dispensary provides free medical assistance and medication to orphaned and underprivileged children and offers the same at low cost to the village population.
- Distribution of other necessities: Clothing, hygiene items, and toys.
- Education: In 2010, Espoir Congo built a primary school in Kikimi, and thereby offers free elementary education for orphaned and underprivileged children, as well as affordable low-cost primary education to village children. We also supply uniforms and school books.
- Agricultural project: Congolese partner SABEC is involved in developing agricultural project as a micro enterprise.
- Vocational training: The older orphaned girls learn sewing, which will enable them to make a living.
Kinshasa, DR Congo
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By caring for approximately 100 orphaned children in a village called Kikimi, outside the capital Kinshasa. Espoir Congo not only keeps these vulnerable children from ending up living on the streets, but they aim to provide them what they need to have a good start in life.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, close to 11% of the total child population is orphaned, due to war in the east of the country, and due to malnutrition, poverty, disease and poor health care in urban areas like Kinshasa.
In addition to building a school for the village, Espoir Congo supplies uniforms and books for the students, along with a nutritional breakfast.
Espoir Congo encourages the development of local micro-enterprise, training the locals how to set up and run small businesses, all in an effort to help curb poverty.
Vocational training opportunities for orphaned teenagers, allowing them the possibility of a livelihood.
Because of past civil unrest, the DRCongo is in dire need of rebuilding. The population is disheartened, disillusioned, wounded, and sees no hope to make a decent living.
