There's nothing like the joy of children playing games. Fun and camaraderie are universal needs! The video above is of a game of le Mboko at the Kimbilio's girls' transit home. As you can see, it is a local version of hopscotch. It is the favorite game of the girls residing at Kimbilio. Le Kangé, also known as Zango, is very special. It started as a traditional children's game, and has developed into an official national sport for women in the DR Congo.  Zango means foot

Kimbilio is on track to have a record number of 24 sewing school graduates in 2025! Six cohorts of four women will have the opportunity to increase their earnings and thereby take better care of their children. The numbers show that they'll seize that opportunity - for those who've already completed the training in 2025, the average monthly earnings for each of their new sewing businesses is $79. In the DR Congo, this is an indicator of a highly successful program! We have

Digital readiness is a critical need for school children. In the DR Congo, it's difficult to accomplish. Based on #UNICEF household...

Different paths suit different children. They have their own passions and dreams. Kimbilio nurtures those dreams and then supports the children as they pursue them. Some children aspire to attend university. Currently, Kimbilio pays the academic fees of 6 students attending the University of Lubumbashi. Today we celebrate one of them: Enock. Kimbilio supported Enock during his earlier school years and then at University. He studied Psychology, and he just defended succes

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

There's nothing more fulfilling than when a street child is reintegrated with their family. Kimbilio's social workers put in tremendous...

On June 30, 1960, the DR Congo achieved independence from Belgium. The path forward has been tumultuous. Right after independence, the first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, was assassinated. In 1965, Mobutu Sese Selo seized power in a coup that turned into a dreadful 30 year dictatorship. In the late 1990s, a brutal civil war began. While it officially ended in 2003, achievement of lasting peace and stability remains evasive. This past week, while celebrating 65 years s

At Kimbilio's five facilities, nourishment of children is a crucial aspect of care and community. The main meal at all locations centers on fufu, known locally as bukari. Bukari is made from maize meal (corn flour), which is added to boiling water and stirred constantly to get to a thick, smooth consistency that is stretchier and somewhat firmer than mashed potatoes. It is usually accompanied by chicken or by Thompson fish, which is a type of mackerel. Once per week, rice

Safety at the Kimbilio Mapendo School has been greatly enhanced by the now complete security wall and guard house, thanks to the...

The DR Congo is in the top 10 of the least electrified countries in the world. According to the World Bank, less than 17% of households have access to any electricity at all. Some estimates put the figure at less than 10%. The country's population has gone from 15+ million in the 1960's, to a current estimate of 102+ million, with concurrent worsening of the gap between supply and demand. The potential in hydropower and solar resources is there; the federal infrastructure

Today is International Day for Street Children. Today, we recognize that millions of children around the world live and work on the...

Field trips give the children of Kimbilio the opportunity to converse, relax and explore. Last week, boys and girls living at Kimbilio's...

While the media are focused on the conflict in Eastern DR Congo, Kimbilio's home city of Lubumbashi - 1000 miles away from the conflict - is battling a cholera outbreak that is getting scarce mention in the press. Officials declared it an epidemic earlier this month and have moved forward aggressively with efforts to combat it. The disease is present in all seven of Lubumbashi's communes. Cholera is a bacterial disease of the intestines that is spread through contaminated w

Five young mothers have put in the hard work to attain better futures for themselves and their children. We extend hearty congratulations to them for their recent graduation from the Young Mums program. Kimbilio's Young Mums program provides hairdressing salon and basic business skills training to teenage mums. We give the girls a kit of hairdressing and nail supplies at the end of their 5 month training so that they can set up their own micro business with the hope they do

There is a Japanese proverb that says, "Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher." Case in point:...

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

Kimbilio's school, opened in 2021, now serves more than 300 children. Its students include children residing at Kimbilio's homes as well...

Kimbilio takes a holistic approach to helping street children. Street children in many countries find themselves on the streets for a variety of reasons -- economic needs, harsh family issues, and dire poverty among them. In the DR Congo, Kimbilio sees many cases related to child labour, trafficking, child soldiers, accusations of witchcraft, and extreme family dysfunction. What do we mean by holistic? It means that Kimbilio looks at the overall well-being of each child an

Two new cohorts of women are embarking on their studies at Kimbilio's sewing schools. A key focus area for Kimbilio is supporting learning and education, not just for the children that it supports, but also for the parents of former street children. Many families in Lubumbashi live in poverty with insufficient income to meet even the most basic of needs such as regular food and school fees. Kimbilio have seen firsthand how supporting mothers to gain qualifications and earn an