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 and how to support each child on the path to a better place, sustainably. It often starts with the basics -- providing food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Then, when possible, it involves creating a caring home situation -- whether that be by reintroducing the child into their biological family in an appropriate fashion, or welcoming them into a Kimbilio home. Finally, education is a necessary ingredient for the child to have a better future. The common thread across all this effort is a lot of love and genuinely intense commitment to each child in their care.
The story of Magloire is a Kimbilio success story -- Kimbilio provided the tools, and Magloire lifted himself up. Today Magloire is three years into his career as a welder. Not so many years ago, his life was bleak. He came to Kimbilio from the street, lived for a period in Kimbilio's transit house, and received Kimbilio-sponsored training in welding. Today he is sought out in the wider community for his welding schools. We are immensely proud of his accomplishments -- and that fantastic smile on his face! You can also see Magloire a few years ago at Kimbilio's boys transit house -- that's Magloire in the gray t-shirt on the far right.
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