Democratic Republic of Congo
The DRC has become internationally known for its devastating civil conflicts, the most recent lasting from 1998 to the present and claiming 4 million lives. Today the country is largely at peace and beginning the long process of gathering the broken pieces of a society shattered by war. Endemic corruption and decaying infrastructure remain significant barriers to development.
In 2005, Hands at Work started working in DRC’s southern, copper-rich Katanga province to begin challenging local Christians to care for the masses of orphaned children and widows left behind by both the war and the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Work among the poorest children in Likasi town began quickly, spread into the informal slums that had grown up around it and kept growing to the rural areas outside of Likasi. 2010 plans include expansion into the Kolwezi region, 150km west of Likasi as well as the Northeastern region of Goma, on the border with Rwanda.
Newfound Life for Maseo
“Maseo Pelazi was 3 years old when her mother died, leaving her and her 3 siblings in the care of her father. Overwhelmed, the father soon abandoned the children, leaving them to be divided among other relatives.
Maseo was separated from her older siblings and sent to live with her mother’s sister. An extra mouth in an already overextended family, Maseo got the scraps of what was available, destining her to hunger and poverty and offering no hope of attending school.
Maseo’s situation changed when Hands at Work mobilised the Kikula community to start a free school for orphaned and vulnerable children, as well as a home visiting programme that trained a team of local Christians to build relationships with such children and their foster families.
Today Maseo is 7 years old, attending grade 1 in the Kikula Community School and receiving a nutritious meal daily at the Care Point. From being a neglected, add-on child who had to earn her right to a family, today she is highly valued by her Care Worker who visits her often. With her needs for nutrition and education met, she stands every chance to grow up strong with the mentorship of her compassionate care worker who believes the best for this little girl.