Livestock for Orphaned Children in Congo

My name is Sam. I live in a village called Boyambi, which is very close to the city of Gemena in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am one of the beneficiaries of the AFCA project.

We thank the Almighty God for the grace He granted us to meet with the AFCA project as we are very grateful for this project. I had the chance to enter the project through orphan, Lisa, when her father died in June 2015 when she was 3 years old. Her parents both contracted AIDS in 2007, making them so weak that they could not even work. Lisa’s parents died, one after the other and I, as a youngest brother, took her to keep her at my house with my children.  At that time my family and I were spending roughly $1 for food for the whole family per day and between that and the cost of schooling my children, we faced very intense difficulties. Sometimes the children did not study because of lack of means for fees and food. Thankfully, in 2019, we started the project where we were trained in agriculture, gardening and animal husbandry.

We had been fortunate to be provided by AFCA with working tools such as a hoe, spade, machete, watering can, and seeds (cowpea, peanut, and corn as well as vegetables for the garden).

As far as livestock is concerned, AFCA gave us 4 sheep, including 3 females and a male.  From late 2019 to 2023, the animals have multiplied and right now, we have 10 healthy sheep.   Regarding the reimbursement of the animals at AFCA - I have already reimbursed 2 females at AFCA and I know that next year I will do everything possible to reimburse the last female sheep to facilitate other families to become beneficiaries of AFCA because I want them to experience wealth, too.

Through the sale of extra vegetables and corn we grow, I built a sheet metal house with bricks, the children go to school and everyone is in good health because they are stronger. The little girl who came to us when she was 3 years old is now 12 years old. She is doing well and she is in 4th year of primary school.  We have gone from spending $1 for food per day to $3, meaning we are all healthier and not hungry anymore. I can say this project to changed our way of life and we are very happy.

The team here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS thanks you for supporting this project and the work we do for the children in Africa.  As you start to make decisions regarding your giving this year, please keep us in mind so we can continue our good work through 2023 and beyond.  If you would like to learn even more about what we do or how you can meet some of the children you have helped, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

This story is about a man named Nathan and his family, beneficiaries of AFCA’s Livelihoods Program in Gemena, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nathan entered the project because of a child named Bennett whose father passed away due to complications of AIDS. Bennett was adopted by Nathan's family, joining a rather large family of 5 other children, some adopted and some biological.

According to Nathan, before being a beneficiary of this project, they had approximately 75 cents for food for the entire family per day. They obviously couldn’t eat well and the children were to weak to go to school. When he has been selected to be part of the project, he was trained in agriculture, in animal breeding and in financial management. AFCA gave him peanut, beans and corn seeds for a field, vegetable seeds for the house garden and three rabbits to breed in order to allow them to live well.

With the knowledge that he has acquired from AFCA, he has been able to change his way of feeding his family - his field productivity was good and helped him to well live.

After one year, he gave back three full grown rabbits to AFCA (for another family) and he traded a bunch of rabbits for two goats. Before long, he kept trading up and now has seven large, healthy goats. Some rabbits were sold for cash, allowing him to send his children to school. When somebody in his family is sick, he is able to bring him or her at the health clinic.  This was all unheard of in the past and Nathan is so happy to know that his life is different now.

According to his calculations, from the 3 rabbits that AFCA originally gave him, he returned three to the program, he has sold approximately 180 other rabbits and the family has eaten many more. Now he is living well with his family because, while before they consumed 1300 FC per day but now they consume 6000 FC ($3) and all the children are doing well in school.

Nathan thanks AFCA’s project because it has changed his life and he asks for AFCA to continue with its good work to help those who are vulnerable in his community.  “May Lord bless all the people who contributed to the evolution of my family.”

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

Mr. Mopoe sits quietly with a smile perched on his lips as we enter his yard. When he sees us, he jumps to his feet and comes quickly to greet us and welcome us to his home. I immediately notice that there is a structure that was not there eighteen months ago...the beginning of a small house, the skeleton already standing, waiting for bricks to complete it.

As soon as we sit, he hands me $45, payment for a loan I gave him those months ago when he said that he had an idea and he needed a loan to get it moving forward. Now, he pays me back and he explains that the loan has changed his life, along with the gift of goats, seeds, garden tools, a solar lamp, and a water filter. You see, he gathered all he was given and with the $45, he hired people to help him plant the biggest garden he could. He harvested peanuts, corn, beans, and veggies. He then filled buckets with peanuts and gave loans to others in his community. If he loaned one bucket, he received two as payment. Soon, he had earned so many peanuts back, that when he sold them, he purchased a small piece of land with palm trees. Now, he presses palm nut oil for sale.

As he tells us his story, he takes a small break to call his goats, all which come running, knowing grains of corn await them. They are beautiful! So well cared for! Some are pregnant, some are babies and all are in wonderful shape. I laugh as I see a heavily pregnant goat waddle over like a puppy, full of life and goat happiness. 

I point to the new structure and if Mr. Mopoe was happy before, he is doubly so now, telling us that, thanks to the start-up he was given, he is building a house for his eldest son, right next to his own small house. It doesn't get better than this! Healthy children and animals, every child in school and eating well, growing food for his family and for an income, living debt free...Mr. Mopoe is what we hope every AFCA family can be. Smiling and waving, he bids us goodbye as we get on motorcycles to go visit another family. 

I can't help but grin as I wave and wave and wave, shouting "merci mingi"! (Thank you very much!).

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

AFCA is very happy to welcome Guy Likonza to our staff in Congo! Guy is an agronomist who has taken his new role as Manager of AFCA’s office in Gemena eagerly, learning at rapid speed and integrating himself with our families well. Guy has hit the ground running and already, he has been:

1. Has set up a training for the next 70 families who will benefit from our livelihoods projects,
2. Has distributed goats to other trained families,
3. Has hired a new man to oversee the grinder project (where families can take corn and cassava to be ground into flour),
4. Helped move our solar vaccine fridge from Tandala to Gemena, to be used in a local clinic

These are some of the tasks he has done in the past four weeks and we are grateful to have found Guy, who has taken each job with a smile and willingness to do well. His plate will be full, we know! He is a willing servant of his people, smiling as he asks questions to learn their stories, their needs, their hopes, and their dreams. I liked the way he sat with families, seemingly at ease while asking questions and letting them get to know him a bit, as well. I liked the way he asked me many questions, learning as much as he could in the two weeks I was in town. As my French grew weaker after a day of work and tiredness crept in, he’d give English a shaky try and kept vowing that he’ll learn it better soon. Somehow, I don’t doubt he’ll make that happen!

We have great plans to accomplish much more in northwest Congo and it will be great to do them with this man leading the charge from Gemena.

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

Before I was selected as a beneficiary for the AFCA project, my life was very difficult. I have eight children of my own and I raised my late sister’s six children, as well.  My husband passed away in 2011. At that time, we were spending about 1800 Congolese Francs per day for food (.90 cents) because we simply didn’t have more. Life was so hard!

Then, AFCA accepted me as a beneficiary! That is when everything changed. First, I received training in gardening and in raising animals. When I was ready, I was given rabbits, gardening tools, seeds, and a water filter. I planted the seeds and after the rains, I had corn, peanuts and vegetables and we started eating better. The rabbits started reproducing and I gave back a pair to the project, as I had agreed that I would do when I signed a contract with AFCA. I was careful with the breeding of the rabbits and soon, I had many. We ate some, along with the vegetables we grew. The extra vegetables, we sold. For our entire family, we now eat well and have 3500 Congolese Francs per day (about $1.75) to spend on extra items like sugar, flour, tea, milk, and other things we don’t grow.

The extra rabbits have become a source of income for us and we were able to build a house where we all can stay together. Now, we are so happy! We built a small house which we rent as a clinic so that other people can get help and we have income from that. Bless you all for loving us!

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.