For weeks, everyone at Kimbilio had been waiting in excitement. Readers of our earlier blog about loading the container will remember the extraordinary community effort that made this shipment possible. From collecting donations and sourcing equipment to packing every available space inside the container, supporters across the UK played their part in a project that would eventually travel thousands of miles to Democratic Republic of Congo. We would like to extend our heartfel

Congo Children Trust's Founding CEO Ian Harvey is raising money for Congo Children Trust at the Great North Run. Please give -- it will motivate him while supporting street children in the DR Congo.

Jean-Claude came to Kimbilio in 2013 as a 14 year old street child. A couple of weeks ago, he graduated from the University of Lubumbashi. He is an inspiration to all of us. Here is his story, in his own words, in French. Click here if you want to skip to the English translation. Je m’appelle Ndenga Mulula Jean-Claude. Je suis le fils de William Akilimali et de Maman Mujinga. Je suis le cadet d’une famille de deux garçons. Mon histoire a commencé dans la douleur. Nous avo

Lubumbashi, where Kimbilio is based, is one of the country’s most important economic centers, a gateway to the copper and cobalt belt, and a city where national questions often meet local realities. It is therefore the logical host city each year for DRC Mining Week, an important conference and exhibition focused on the trends, technologies and strategies shaping the future of mining. It is a critical learning and networking event which the Kimbilio management team attende

Pascal was a street child in 2010 when Kimbilio first came into his life. Today, he is a teacher at the Kimbilio Mapendo School. This is his story, in his own words, in French. To skip to the English translation, click here. Je m’appelle Pascal Kameya Ilunga. À l’âge de 6 ans, j’ai perdu ma mère. Après son décès, j’ai été accusé à tort et rejeté. Mon père ne voulait plus de moi. Je me suis retrouvé sans abri. J’ai passé près de 3 ans dans la rue, à la belle étoile. Ce fure

The results are in, and we are delighted to share the news that all 51 students who just completed their senior (6th) year at the Kimbilio Mapendo Primary School were successful on their national exams! 26 boys and 25 girls will thus begin at the Kimbilio Mapendo Secondary School in September. ENAFEP is the Examen National de Fin d'Etudes Primaires. This is the standardized, state administered and compulsory national exam that determines whether students can start lower seco

On Friday 8th May, thankfully before this recent heat wave hit the UK, a team of amazing Congo Children Trust (CCT) volunteers from Manchester and Liverpool joined together outside All Hallows Church in Allerton to load a 40-foot container and sent it on its way to the DR Congo. The items shipped were 100% donated good quality items from the UK; some new, some refurbished, all for Kimbilio's new vocational college. We had gradually been gathering donations over the last few

Within sight of one of Lubumbashi’s largest mines, in an area marked by limited access to basic services like running water, the construction of a new educational college is taking shape to transform the lives of young adults for generations to come. The Kimbilio Vocational College as it stands today, adjacent to the Kimbilio Mapendo School. Kimbilio Vocational College plans to welcome its first cohort of students in 2027. These students will have the chance to learn skills

Visit us in Liverpool this coming weekend! Congo Children Trust and Kimbilio will have a stall at Africa Oyé Festival. This festival is the UK's largest celebration of African music and culture. Each year Africa Oyé offers a great shopping experience, and in our stall you'll be able to buy bags, aprons, cards and other goodies, with proceeds benefiting the children of Kimbilio. Details about the festival are here.

The current ebola outbreak in the DR Congo is a serious threat to the lives of so many people. It started in Ituri province, in the far north east of the DR Congo, and has spread to parts of Kivu Province and into Uganda. As of the start of June there have been 452 confirmed cases and 82 confirmed deaths. On Friday 5th June there were 71 confirmed cases in one day. This is the largest daily increase and highlights the capability of ebola to spread rapidly. Several factors a

Congo Children Trust (CCT) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Ian Harvey as Chief Executive Officer from 1st May 2026. Ian is the visionary founder of both Kimbilio and CCT. He has led CCT on a voluntary, part-time basis with determination and dedication from its creation as a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales in 2007. The vision for Kimbilio and CCT came about 20 years ago in 2006, when Ian was working as an election observer in the

Kimbilio's day center welcomed a team with members from the DR Congo's L'Institut National de la Statistique (INS) and UNICEF . The visit was part of the team's mission to conduct a statistical survey on street children in Lubumbashi. The Division des Affaires Sociales (DIVAS) for Haut Katanga Province was also involved. The Government of Canada , which provided a US$12 million grant to UNICEF in late 2024 to improve protection of vulnerable children in the DRC, is an ong

Several years ago, Marie left her family following a dispute with her father's wife. Marie's biological mother is deceased. After time on the streets, Marie came to live at Kimbilio's transit house for girls. After a long time of mediation by Kimbilio's reintegration team and several site visits, Marie decided to go live with her grandmother. The joyous photos are of the family reunion. Recently at Kimbilio, Marie completed "Coupe et Couture," a training program in sewing

We love the day each year that women and girls worldwide are honored -- International Women's Day. Kimbilio's celebrations were glorious, as always. This year, the United Nations established the theme for the day: ""Rights. Justice. Action." For ALL women and girls. The theme emphasized the urgency of taking action against systemic inequalities and guaranteeing equitable access to justice. The need cannot be disputed. According to the United Nations , globally women have

Congo Children Trust is pleased to share the news of a new partnership with Kumi Foundation and Yokogawa Electric Corporation. The partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed at the Japan-DRC Business Forum in Kinshasa on March 2. Together, we will work to strengthen education and child protection for vulnerable children living in mining communities in Lubumbashi and Kolwezi. For over seventeen years, Congo Children Trust has supported children who

Twenty-one boys' lives are moving in a better direction, and Kimbilio is among the partner organizations seeing this through. In the DR Congo, children are recruited as well as forced into militias, and they also volunteer for the armed forces. Child soldiers, known as kadogos in Swahili, are most prevalent in the war-torn east of the country, but the southern provinces face the issue as well. Children under 18 are not permitted, under either national or international law,

The International Bureau for Children's Rights is an extraordinary organization. Their mission is "strengthening justice and child protection systems and transforming the place of children in our societies, to ensure the realization of children’s rights, especially for those who face the greatest obstacles to having them respected." In the DR Congo, the IBCR is supporting the Congolese government's effort to strengthen child protection. You can learn more about the IBCR's cu

In January, the Kimbilio Mapendo School honored two of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most influential political figures: Patrice Lumumba and Laurent Kabila. In alignment with the Ministry of National Education's program, the school’s curriculum integrates the patriotism of Lumumba and the nationalism of Kabila into everyday learning. This approach shapes students’ understanding of their country’s history and identity, encouraging a strong sense of pride, responsibility a

Kimbilio is led by a terrific, 3-person management team. Their leadership sets the tone and the path for all the good work done at Kimbilio. Please meet one member of the leadership team, who has been with Kimbilio since 2011 -- Rodrigue Katina. He's on the right with his leadership colleagues below. Rodrigue is responsible for administration, reintegration and student support at Kimbilio. Back in 2011, he began as a case manager for child identification cases, then as a s

Season's greetings and best wishes for 2026 from Congo Children Trust and Kimbilio. We offer thanks to our supporters on behalf of both organizations as well as Lubumbashi's street children. You make Kimbilio's great work possible year-round, and you and the Kimbilio team made it possible for the children of Kimbilio to celebrate Christmas. Earlier this week, Kimbilio hosted a special meal at the Day Center. This is an annual tradition intended to show the visiting street