THE GIFT OF COMMITMENT
At the end of every year the Congo Kids Initiative team takes a long moment to reflect on the year coming to an end. We are always honored to have the opportunity to serve children of all ages (right now there are 124 children in the care of St. Kizito, 94 on our campus and 30 with foster families) and grateful for the entire CKI community that makes the work possible.
This year has been more trying than most. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing Ebola crisis, the usual threat of malaria and other public health challenges, Eastern Congo where we work has remained deeply unstable. Not only does armed conflict put our children and caregivers at direct risk of violence, it prevents access to medical care, educational materials, and nutrition.
However, this year, in the midst of instability, we were able to fulfill our essential responsibility to provide clean water free of disease, essential infant formula, and a key range of nutrients for growing bodies.
As a result of a major commitment from the government of the Republic of Korea via UNICEF to St. Kizito, we now have a permanent water well and enhanced latrines that will keep our community safe from water-borne disease. Previously, during upticks in violence the waterline to the orphanage could be cut, forcing staff to risk leaving the in search of water just as violence rose. This problem is now solved for both the orphanage and the local community where we reside.
Two additional year-long commitments to the nutritional needs of our children have been equally transformative in every aspect of our kids’ lives.
The first major commitment came from Gourmet Gorilla, a company that provides local and sustainable food for children in the US, who stepped in to support CKI’s formula needs for an entire year. This gift freed up funds to allow us to focus on the urgent medical and psychological needs of the many newborns and infants in our care without worrying how we will provide their daily sustenance.
Additionally, the Burkholder Family made a generous gift that ensures our toddlers, young children, and teens will receive a more rounded and robust nutritional diet to support their growing bodies and minds. The gift allows us to purchase staple foods that have previously been harder to procure in the local markets.
We are also blessed by donors such as the MacDonald family, Lois Shellrude, and our long-committed friends Pernille Aagaard and Johnny Ronved who have consistently kept CKI in their community giving. These regular gifts allow us to plan for both the daily essentials of shelter, security, medical care, nutrition, and education.
The culmination of this kind of support has allowed us to plan for both the predictable and the unpredictable - activities that come with the territory of caring for children.
We are deeply appreciative of every gift shared with CKI. For those who might consider making it a regular commitment, we want you to know how much of an impact that can make.
In gratitude,
The CKI family