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

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

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

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

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

Street children near the center of Lubumbashi. The coal is either for selling or for burning for warmth. Radio Okapi is reporting waves of arrests of street children in Lubumbashi. For those unfamiliar with Radio Okapi, it is a joint effort by the United Nations and the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle to provide reliable news reporting across the DR Congo. It has a very large audience. According to Radio Okapi, the agents conducting the arrests claim they are fighting urba

Last week, Kimbilio hosted a visit from Monsieur Mahamadi Oubda, Children's Rights and Security Advisor at the International Bureau of Children's Rights (IBCR). In 2024, Kimbilio entered into a partner agreement with the IBCR. The purpose of the partnership is to protect children through a Children's Consultative Committee (CCC) of Lubumbashi. The mission of this CCC is to give children a voice to be change agents and participate in the decisions that impact them. There ar

This post was written by long-time Kimbilio supporter Sarah P., who was part of the Congo Children Trust team that visited Kimbilio this...

Back in Lubumbashi, my former home for five years, after a gap of 2 years, what do I find? The first stand out which is impossible to miss, is the increase in traffic, we spent a significant part of the first few days stuck in traffic jams. Not a very attractive past time you may think, however, it gave us valuable time to catch up with our hosts, the Kimbilio management team, whilst observing all the sights and sounds of this beautiful, bustling, busy city. The increase in t

Following is a message from Ian Harvey, the founder of Kimbilio and Director of Congo Children Trust: We are concerned by the unfolding conflict in eastern D.R.C. which has led to the taking over of Goma by rebel militia. The conflict has led to thousands of people being displaced and living in camps for displaced persons. Access to the essentials such as health care, food and water are not readily available. The national leaders are attempting to find solutions to the decade

If you've been to events at which we've tabled in England, or shopped on our Etsy site, you are no doubt familiar with the delightful sewn products we sell to raise funds for Kimbilio. We have a team of dedicated, talented volunteers that use vibrant fabrics, sourced in Congo, to create bunting, aprons, bags and other beautiful items. The income from selling these items is important to Kimbilio, and the lovely, recognizable products bring a bit of Congo to England and joy t

The International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR) has organised a workshop with 20 children from different Non-Governmental Organisations to be part of the Consulting Committee for Child Rights. Four children are representing Kimbilio, and they are shown in this photo with Kimbilio Director Carine Bahati on the day of the first session. The work is in the context of improving the child protection system in the DR Congo. The next session will be in about 2 months.

Kimbilio had the pleasure to receive a visit from UK representatives of Street Child United, an organisation who use the power of sport to provide a global platform for StreetChildren , so they can demand the protection, support, and opportunities every child needs. The delegation met with children supported by Kimbilio at our day centre, homes and school and were present for a football match played by former street children.