Help Street Girls in DR Congo

Thank you so much for your financial support for our work to help girls forced to live on the streets in Lubumbashi, DRC. Girls are particularly vulnerable on the streets and the Kimbilio team of carers are quick to offer girls a place in the girls Transit House while their needs are assessed. At the moment, we see an average of nine girls each time the Day Centre opens, whilst there are fourteen girls living in the Transit House and eleven girls in the long-term house.

The aim is to reintegrate the girls into their wider families and this year the Kimbilio teram has already reintegrated nine girls.Whilst they are in the care of Kimbiio, the girls receive education at the new Kimbilio school, which means that they are not at a disadvantage against girls living at home and has the benefit of giving the girls a sense of self worth

Thank you  for your financial support for the Kimbilio Project 'Help Street Girls in DR Congo'.

Life on the streets is precarious and girls are particularly vulnerable to attack, so the Kimbilio carers are alert to respond quickly to street girls who appear at the Day Centre in Lubumbashi. If at all possible, arrangements are made for the girls to stay at the Kimbilio short-term house or the longer-term house, where they can be safe and receive love and care. In February this year, there were 23 girls living in the Kimbilio houses and three girls who had been reintegrated into their familes.

Thank you very much for your generous donations to the Kimbilio Project to help street girls in the Congo. Girls are very vulnerable living on the streets.

This year, the Kimbilio short-term and long-term houses have looked after an average of 24 girls each month who had been living on the street. As well as shelter, food, clothing and counselling, we can now give the girls the opportunity of education at the Kimbilio school. It is heart-warming to see the changes in their faces as the girls regain self-respect and confidence. In many cases, we are able to achieve reintegration of the girls into their wider families.

In addition, the Day Centre in Lubumbashi sees around eight girls each day who come for help. The Kimbilio staff team are trained to address the needs of the girls, some of whom may have young children or be pregnant. 

Thank you for your finiancial support for the work of Kimbilio with young girls living on the streets of Lumbumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The girls are very vulnerable on the streets and Kimbilio can provide shelter, food, medical care and a safe environment for them

The younger girls living in the homes run by Kimbilio have just completed their first year at the new Kimbilio Primary School. As well as the normal academic subjects, the girls have enjoyed success in team games such as basketball. It is so encouraging seeing the smiles on the faces of these girls and recognise that they have each been able to move forward from the situation that caused them to live on the streets.

The current Kimbilio Project is to build a multipurpose Day Centre. Up to now we have using the Anglican Cathedral in Lubumbashi but we need our own premises. The Day Centre is the first point of contact with street children. We have identified a plot of land in the city centre and already secured $30,000 of the $50,000 needed to complete the purchase, so we need a further $20,000 by Christmas. We will then be able to engage the architect who desined the Primary School to draw up a design for the new Day Centre

Thank you for your financial support for the work of Kimbilio with street girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is such a vital task, as young girls are so vulnerable when living on the streets and Kimbilio can offer them shelter, care and affection, education and the opportunity to be reintegrated into their wider family. 

One of the activities that the girls enjoy is art, which allows them to be creative and to express themselves. The joy on their faces at their finished creation is lovely to behold. While the girls are with us, they now get the opportunity of education at the new Kimbilio Junior Schooll and we see the girls gain in confidence and self-worth and, of course, the knowledge and skills that acquire at school will give them better opportunities when they get older.