Six months ago, 11 year old Dany came off the street to the Kimbilio outreach center for the first time. His father had died. The...

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

Access to clean, safe water is challenging across the DR Congo. Lubumbashi is no exception. The city faces a water shortage, with infrastructure deficiencies, climate change and rapid urbanization as contributing factors. Less than one-half of the population has access to water. In 2022, a young resident of the Kalubwe District of Lubumbashi described the difficult water situation where he lives in this short but compelling video. Kalubwe is about 9 kilometers from the Ki

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

Between the 25th and 28th March 2025 Global Giving will provide a match of 50% on your gift up to $50 as part of their Little by Little campaign. We have been saddened by the horrific events which are coming to light due to the escalating conflict in the east of DRC. These events are having an impact on life on the ground in Lubumbashi. A nighttime curfew has been put in place. Fuel costs have increased leading to increased costs in foods often imported from South Africa via

#InternationalWomensDay in the DR Congo is widely celebrated with women's conferences, outings and shared meals. Casual clothes give way to absolutely stunning African attire. At Kimbilio each year, the women and girls rejoice in the day with a special outing to a pizza restaurant. For the girls, it is often the only restaurant visit of the year, and for Kimbilio newcomers, it is often their first restaurant visit ever. It's a great opportunity to dress up, feel good, meet

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

Learn about artisanal mining and child labour in the mines in the DR Congo.

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:...

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

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

In a recent post we wrote about the more serious medical needs of the Kimbilio children, which are often cared for at the Butterfly...

In many of our blog posts we try to bring to life some of the challenges that street children in the DRC face. One of the pieces of...

AFEEL is the Academy For English Education in Lubumbashi. It is an international, English language school for children from preschool to...