29March2024

header-actual2

 

Since the year 2000 our annual reports provide an overview over the progress of our projects. Apart from summaries concerning the current project this section also covers completed projects. Thereby we trace the history of “Active Direct Help”. Additionally we regularly publish the recent developments to our current project in detail.

Annual Reports
Nov 2012

120 Children Go to Our School

Within the last six months, we have had many ups and downs in our Congo project; a very intense time! Some of the ups were our third interview with Munich TV and the posting of a new video about our work in Mushapo on YouTube.

On the down side, however, we received news that after the foundation of our school building was done, the farm closed due to all their troubles. It looked as though we would be unable to continue our project as they took everything away. There was no more electricity, water, internet, bed, table or chair. We were left alone in the bush and had to find solutions. Thank God for the miraculous and unexpected support of our dear friends, which encouraged us to continue without the farm’s help.

Jean, the former foreman on the farm, was willing to work with us for half of his former salary since he knows that we work as fulltime volunteers and have to raise support for everything ourselves. Next we met Philippe again, the manager of a big company in Tshikapa, who agreed to bring everything we stored in Kinshasa, all the way to Mushapo -- more than a thousand km by difficult road and partly by boat on the “Congo” and “Kasai” rivers. His company also brings us from Tshikapa to Mushapo and tremendously facilitates our work in many other ways. To transport materials on site, we acquired two typical Congolese „pousse pousse” (push carts) since no more vehicles are available. When another friend heard that we have no electricity, he bought us a new generator for our basic needs.

Since the construction of our school building had to wait because of the farm closing, we asked the owners if we could use their empty buildings until we have our own. They agreed and even let us use their land to grow crops, which will also be an advantage for them, as it will prevent the land from degrading back to wilderness. We eagerly accepted this offer because our own property still needs much work before we can grow crops on it.

Wolfgang, Jos and Jean worked on all these preparations in Kinshasa and acquired seeds, seedlings and food for the next few months. Then Manuela arrived from Germany and helped too. Also Blandine, a nurse and Sunday school teacher from Kinshasa, agreed to help us in Mushapo. When the first team arrived on the farm they quickly set up camp, changed two of the big farmhouses into four classrooms and started the school, for which we, the children, the chiefs and the whole village are very thankful. We found a school director - Bernard - and three teachers in the neighbor village.

The longer we work in this area, the more we realize how difficult it is to care for the same children which we want to educate and train on a long-term basis. This is because many people there live like nomads. It is an area where diamonds can be found, although not so many, so it´s not enough to live off it. It would be better if the people would engage in agriculture and raise chicken and goats, but because they hope for the big “finding”, they prefer to keep searching. And once they hear that more diamonds are to be found in another area, they move. Their mud huts don’t last long anyway and they just take along their few belongings. The children are often used as labor force for work such as digging, getting water, preparing food or caring for the little ones. According to UN statistics, in Katanga, an area rich in natural resources, one third of the children are used for working in mines and quarries. This creates problems for a lasting and meaningful school education and our sponsor a child program. We will do our best to inspire the people to change their mindsets, but it will be difficult to bring them to the point where they start thinking about the future of their children and plan more for tomorrow. Anyway, we are thankful that we started the school and agricultural project, and that the construction of our building can resume.

In Prague, we slowly make progress on the setting up of our base for which we are very thankful as Lenka became quite sick and needed some medical check-ups. We are happy that she got healed without an operation and is slowly regaining her strength. Anissa goes to kindergarten and learns Czech and we find many people who are interested in our work and want to help. Soon we are planning to add other languages to our website by Jens and Sergio. Here is the link to the German site: www.adh-kongo.de.

We wish you Merry Christmas with some time for rest and reflection and a good start in the New Year. Please pray with us that soon there will be found a more lasting peaceful situation in the East of Congo and that the needs of the poor in the country will be better taken care of and that we can continue to change a small part of the world and build a better future for them. Thank you for all your help towards that!

Image Gallery
Fresh pineapple for the children: so yummy and healthy.In Sunday school the children have lots of fun together.Wolfgang loads up in Kinshasa on a truck of Philippe's company.Inspecting the situation: Jean, Bernard and Jos.Vegetable garden for carrots, onions, tomatoes, salad, pineapple.Pineapple fields need clearing, on the back with weeds, in front already cleared.Wolfgang with the German Ambassador, Dr. Peter Blohmeyer, who helped us with a grant for the school building.Jos takes out tree trunk.School-director Bernard with parents of the students.Chief Mueji representative, Chief Mbumba Tumba, dir. Bernard, teacher (ltr).    Chief Mueji representative, Chief Mbumba Tumba, dir. Bernard, teacher    Normal  0      21      false  false  false    EN-US  X-NONE  X-NONE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Mr. & Mrs. Mpona with Wolfgang, dried fish and other food items for Mushapo.Jos, Manuela and Blandine with four teachers and pupils who already have uniforms.Blandine teaches the children Sunday school and about hygiene and health.Outhouse outside the school grounds.Acacia seedlings as border of the school grounds....& for their own first textbooks.Jos Manuela and Blandine with four teachers and pupils who don't have their uniforms yet.Unloading of first load on the farm in Mushapo: Food for the team, mattresses, generator shoes & clothes for the children etc.A little view in the new classroom. The children are very happy for their new school setup with simple benches...

Our Annual reports

 Our project is an enormous encouragement to the people of Mushapo and the surrounding villages, because a good education means a better future for their children.

314 students, four villages, 10 classrooms, 10 teachers

Newsletter

If you want to subscribe to our newsletter, please send us a message.

Subscribe

Contact us

Do you have any questions or comments for us? Contact us directly! We appreciate your message and will try to answer you as soon as possible.

Contact us

I want to help

You want to know how you can help us to help in Congo? Get to know more about how you can support us.

Help ADH