Caring for Congolese Children

Caring for Congolese Children took part again in this year’s Kingston upon Thames Carnival on Sunday September 6th.  Unlike last year, the weather was kind to us and we enjoyed a successful day’s fundraising, selling cakes - many homemade, others donated by local businesses - as well as soft drinks and children’s treats.  Many thanks to all who participated, either by helping out on the stall, baking cakes or asking local traders for cake donations!  The money raised will be used in our projects at the Centre Mère Marie Augustine in Kinshasa, where we support the feeding, health and education of very poor and malnourished children.

In our news item dated March 15th 2009 about our Desks & Classroom Improvements Project, we mentioned the generous grant we had received for this project from the Anglo American Group Foundation.  In July this year we were delighted to receive a donation of £2876 from the Foundation’s parent company, Anglo American plc.  This money had been raised through a sale of art to Anglo American’s employees for charitable purposes, and Caring for Congolese Children was chosen as the beneficiary.  This donation will be used to support our food, health and education programmes at the Centre Mère Marie Augustine in Kinshasa.

Adam Walker, a 15 year old schoolboy from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, organised a fundraising concert for CCC on 16th May.  Adam is participating in the International Young Leadership Award and chose to support CCC to demonstrate his involvement in international humanitarian activities.   Adam is a singer and guitarist and took part in the concert which raised a total of £255!  Adam is also planning a sponsored bungee jump on July 12th to raise more funds for CCC.  We greatly appreciate Adam’s enthusiastic support for our charity.  The money raised from the concert and bungee jump will help feed malnourished children at the Centre Mère Marie Augustine on the outskirts of Kinshasa.

CCC was invited to make a presentation on 8th May to year 10 pupils at Christ’s School, Richmond upon Thames.  The presentation included a resumé of our achievements to date and our current projects, with special emphasis on our support for the Centre Mére Marie Augustine, the feeding centre, infant and primary school attended by children in a very poor district of Kinshasa.  The presentation was well received by the pupils and was said to tie in well with their current Citizenship coursework project.

On 19th October 2008, seven brave runners, “Team Fern Hill”, took part in the Amsterdam Marathon to raise money for our Desks and Classroom Improvements Project at a primary school in Kinshasa, D R Congo.  Thanks to their impressive efforts, they raised the wonderful total of £610 including Gift Aid!

For the last two years, Caring for Congolese Children has contributed to the cost of schooling ten former street children in the town of Basankusu, north west D R Congo.  The education these children are receiving is unlikely to have been possible without the generosity of our supporters.