Experiences

 I was two years old when my father died in an ambush by foreign rebels. My uncle was the elder of an Adventist church in our area. He [had] recently received a letter about a ministry that   would care for orphan children. “Seeing that my mother had 10 children who were orphans, my uncle decided it would be better to take two of them to this ministry. I was selected along with   my brother. “We had the opportunity and grace to come to the PROLASA receiving center when the orphanage was still in the city of Goma. We were welcomed with love. “The staff took very  good care of us. We ate three times per day, received medical care, were well-dressed, and were happy to meet other children in the same situation as us. “We met kind housemothers, good supervisors, and other people who really cared about us. Our questions were answered with satisfaction and our needs were met. At that point, we even forgot about the wars. “In 2008 the orphanage moved to [the island of] Idjwi, and that’s where I completed my Primary and Secondary school. Once again, I was among the luckiest and went to study at University in the city of Bukavu. 

“At ICC/PROLASA, we received the following benefits: spirituality, good nutrition, medical care, education, clothing, and many other good things. “Living with a poor, single parent and being an orphan, it would never have been easy for me to even finish primary school. “With the opportunity I was given by ICC/PROLASA, I went further than I had dreamed. What a pleasure! “Fortunately, God’s hand was and is still above me. I am convinced that poverty is never a choice, and if it was no one would choose it, I imagine.” ( Léa was just hired at the Pygmy Project to be our development director. She is engaged to our chaplain and they are planning on getting married in June 2023.)

We made our way towards the boat after we had concluded a house opening ceremony at the Pygmy site in Muchulo. The ceremony was a success and was filled with inexpressible joy as the people celebrated their newly acquired homes. As expected, the ceremony took a long time to conclude and stretched late into the afternoon. By this time dark clouds were gathering across Lake Kivu and they were promising to let go of their contents any time soon.  We scrambled into the boat without wasting any time, and the helmsman attempted to start the engine as we all settled. It gave out a lifeless roar, a stutter, and then went quiet. My heart sank at the thought of being caught in the storm. Surprisingly, the local people continued their conversations without a care in the world. The helmsman tried again with no success. Eventually, after several attempts, the motor roared to life, and we set out into the lake trying to beat the storm. The waves rose high and low, occasionally crashing at the sides of the boat. The helmsman skillfully steered through the crashing waves and kept it on course. Without a word’s notice, he changed direction and headed in the opposite direction from Patmos. I was very concerned, but to my annoyance, everyone seemed not to care at all. They continued with their chatter and banter. Several minutes into this seemingly crazy move we saw another boat. “Maybe the driver wants to pick up someone”, I thought to myself. Clearly, that was not the best time to be making such a detour. The engine was abruptly shut down and we drifted uneasily toward the other boat until we made contact. A jerry-can was passed over to our helmsman from the other boat. He cautiously poured the contents into the fuel inlet. “Petrol”! It dawned on me that we were running empty and with the bolstering waves and blowing winds, we would not make it to Patmos. We could have been caught in the storm, drifted off to an unknown place or even boat-wrecked. The helmsman’s wisdom and experience proved my ignorant concerns very wrong! We made it safely to Patmos, just in time.

To begin with a little bit of my life; I was born on 1995 September 3 in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, the fifth child in my family.  I did my primary school studies in South Kivu from 2000 to 2008 at Imani Panzi Primary School and my secondary school at the Institut Technique Avenir where I graduated in 2014 with a state diploma in chemistry and biology in 2014. During my studies I lost my very dear mother who was my principal family support since my father had suffered from a stroke complicated by a hemiparalysis and he was an invalid for a long period of time, but by the grace of God he managed to  recover, and is now functioning normally. On 2014 November 5, a Catholic sister working on Idjwi, offered to pay for my tuition to pursue  further studies at UNILAI. Five months after beginning my university programme, the sister that was supporting me was transferred to Douala, Cameroun and as a result, things began to get difficult for me. She had paid for my first year of studies so I was able to finish that year.  After my sponsor  moved to Douala, she was involved in an accident which broke her hip and she was no longer able to support my studies.

In spite of my difficulties, I was able to get my bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2017 from the Layman’s University of Idjwi which is operated by PROLASA International. With the help of PROLASA, I was sponsored to pursue a Master’s degree in Paediatrics from the Institut Superieur des Techniques Medicales of Goma.  I was further encouraged by PROLASA to specialize in neonatology but unfortunately due to the social upset of the corona virus pandemic I have not been able to continue in my field of study.  Currently, I am running a small pharmacy and I am grateful for all the help I have received. I never imagined having all the qualifications I have without the motivation and support of PROLASA.

I can affirm without any hesitation that I have benefited greatly from the work of PROLASA and not only me, but numerous other young people have benefited in various fields of  their endeavours and I pray that God will continue to bless the organisation to help other young people in rural DRC to attain a higher education to improve the lives of their communities.

This little preacher shared a very powerful sermon in front of the whole church. With his bible and smile he spoke confidently and passionately. This was not the case a few months ago. He arrived at Patmos in April 2022, after a long journey through the soaking rain, and muddy terrains. Unfortunately, he lost a sibling along the way. He arrived at Patmos village at 5am in the morning, malnourished, and in great distress. He was taken in and cared for. Now he is a happy young man full of life..