What We Do
While southern Africa is renowned for a village/extended family approach to raising children, there are more than 20,000 street children in Kinshasa alone. The reason for this is that poverty, high mortality rates amoung adults, war and forced migration have severely crippled their ability to act on these values. Thus many children find themselves on the streets or in homes like Georgette’s.
For more background see ‘Why is Georgette’s Home Needed’ below.
Your donations support orphans and abandoned children by providing:
A Loving Home and Education:
Georgette nurtures 54 children with the help of three staff, providing for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs while imparting Christian values that stay with them into adulthood. Many remain connected to the home, offering their professional and trade skills back to the community.
In 2012, Georgette founded Le Chevronné, a self-sustaining K-12 school for both her children and the local community. Each child requires $150 annually for school supplies, uniforms and other needs, which we raise through our summer pie fundraiser. Let us know if you’d like to participate by emailing chair@congoschildren.ca .
Shelter, Food, and Medical Care:
In Kinshasa, the high cost of living and scarcity of resources make it difficult to meet basic needs. A monthly donation of $100 supports the care of one child, providing shelter, food, and medical care. Your support directly impacts their well-being and offers stability in a challenging environment.
A Livelihood:
At any point in time, approximately 20 of Georgette’s children are pursuing professional and trade education, with most enrolled in 5-year programs that cost $1,500 each year. One or two enroll in the medical program, which costs $3,600 a year for 8 years. We seek sponsors to support these students financially, ideally individuals in Canada working in the fields the students are studying, to ensure the child can complete their education.
Over 80 children have become independent adults and responsible parents since Georgette began educating street children in 2001. As with any child anywhere, this requires the support of caring adults like you. Email chair@congoschildren.ca if you’d like to help ensure that an orphan or abandoned child can complete their educational journey, break the cycle of poverty and dependence, and provide for their families with their own resources.
Why Is Georgette’s Home Needed?
In southern Africa, the community-based approach to raising children is deeply ingrained, with the belief that “it takes a village to raise a child.” This concept of ubuntu—a universal bond that connects all humanity—shapes the understanding that family extends beyond the nuclear unit to include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and even neighbours. Traditionally, these extended family networks have provided the care and resources necessary to sustain life, raise children, and care for the elderly.
Yet, despite this rich cultural tradition, Kinshasa alone is home to over 20,000 street children, orphans and abandoned youth without the family support they desperately need. Several factors have contributed to this alarming reality:
- Poverty’s Impact on Extended Families:
In an environment of extreme poverty, many extended families are simply unable to care for their relatives’ children. Often, relatives face heartbreaking choices between feeding their household and caring for additional children. In these circumstances, children are sometimes abandoned in churches with the hope that someone will take them in. Many of Georgette’s children arrived this way.
- High Mortality Rates Among Parents:
The high mortality rate among individuals of child-rearing age in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) exacerbates the problem. Extreme poverty, poor living conditions, inadequate access to healthcare, and the struggles of earning a living all contribute to shortened lifespans. When a parent passes away, the surviving parent often lacks the resources to care for their children, resulting in the children being placed in the care of others.
- The Impact of War and Migration:
Ongoing conflicts in Eastern Congo and elsewhere have displaced countless families, deepened poverty, and created a generation scarred by trauma. Many of the children in Georgette’s care are there because their families were torn apart by war. The reasons for these conflicts are complex, often rooted in access to resources and the legacy of colonialism. Unfortunately, it is those unwilling to engage in conflict who migrate and bear the brunt of the social and economic impact.
Additionally, families who migrate to Kinshasa in search of better opportunities often face economic collapse. With no extended family to support them, their children end up on the streets or in institutions like Georgette’s.
Without the alternative supports that a home like Georgette’s provides, these children face a grim future with little chance of breaking the cycle of poverty. Your financial support enables Georgette to provide them with the care, education, and love they need to grow into resilient adults who can break free from poverty and build better lives for the families they will someday raise.