News | Congo Children Trust

A special day, so deserved, for women and girls

#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

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Mar 151 min read

Congrats to the new grads of Kimbilio's Young Mums program

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

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Mar 72 min read

Child miners

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

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Mar 21 min read

There's nothing better than a great teacher

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:...

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Feb 212 min read

A message from Ian Harvey

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

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Feb 161 min read

Making a difference: our UK-based volunteer sewers

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

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Feb 71 min read

Keeping our students safe

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

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Feb 12 min read

Success, one child at a time

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

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Jan 252 min read

Sewing for the win

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

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Jan 182 min read