We continue to receive monthly donations of food which is being distributed to the children. This month, one contact donated hot dogs, a fun treat for the kids.

 

Various officials often come to visit our school, from local government representatives, to school inspectors and the village chief. Our children are always friendly and welcome them.

 

The mosquito screens and windows have been installed in the medical center. An incinerator is being built to hygienically take care of the waste from the school and the medical center.

There is no garbage collection in Kikimi, and the old incinerator had become insufficient and needed to be replaced with a stronger structure.

Congolese custom is such that, when a woman is ready to go home after having given birth, her friends come to the clinic and get her all dressed up, do her hair, get her all pretty and have a joyous celebration, often with singing and dancing. Espoir Congo also donates baby clothes and milk to the new mother.

Vulnerable mothers who come for post-natal care also receive milk and other food supplies.

The Sunday before last, as she was coming back from attending to an emergency delivery in Kikimi, Florence got caught in a crowd of people who were running away from the police who were shooting bullets (On Sundays after attending church, people have been marching peacefully with the clergy, requesting that the president keeps the agreement he signed back in December 2016. They simply want him to state that he will not run again at the next presidential elections, since his mandate is over. But the police have been responding violently to these peaceful marches by shooting at people, killing even women and children). Thankfully, Florence didn’t get shot at, but she fell and broke her arm. She had to be taken to the hospital where they did x-rays and put her in a cast. We are thankful to have two other nurses/midwifes who can help at the medical center and maternity while Florence is unable to perform her usual tasks.

As you probably remember, the Mokali road has been an ongoing nightmare for years, going from bad to worse, until its destruction reached such a point that it was totally closed off to vehicles of any kind, even two-wheelers. This is the only road leading to the Mokali bridge, which we must take to reach the village of Kikimi. We had even written the Prime Minister about it and met with the secretary of the Minister of Transport to plead for the need to fix it. Well, we have some good news for you! It is finally happening, and the road has been fixed all the way to the bridge. This will greatly facilitate the transport of the construction materials we will need this year. We are very grateful. God’s delays are not denials!

STEPS Program: Thanks to a lot of help from my friend Martine who is an excellent proofreader, the translation of the STEPS Program has been finalized, corrected, and put on DVDs by yours truly. We will be taking them to Kinshasa to donate to educators and Sunday School teachers. The impact this program will have on today’s children is going to shape the future by instilling in them godly values in a fun way.

Well Project: One of our main goals while in Kinshasa is to get the well done. We’ve been actively finalizing all the many details with the various suppliers for all the needed materials and are planning to start drilling mid-May. We are still short financially, but trust God will meet us and supply on time all the needed funds. Giving clean water to the village of Kikimi is such a desperate need, we believe God won’t let these people down.

Baby Clothes: As has been our custom these past few years, we are filling our suitcases with baby clothes, which will be given to every mother who gives birth in our maternity in Kikimi.

Retreat: We’ve also been busy planning a retreat for our Youth leaders and Bible studies for the young people.