Special update: Coronavirus in Congo

It took Coronavirus a little longer to reach DRC, but as I write this, our partner Amani reports that 30 cases have been confirmed in Congo, with two deaths. Two new cases were reported today in the Katanga region in Lubumbashi in South Kivu. The direct impact of this is that Amani had to abruptly close the Congo Peace School on Friday. He shared that many students cried at the announcement, as the school acts not only as a second home where they practice loving nonviolence in classrooms and in play, but is also where they eat their only meal. Thankfully, we will continue to provide that meal for many. Read more about the actions Amani is taking below.

The people of Congo are now dealing with the same escalating crisis there that we are in the U.S. and around most of the globe, but with almost no resources compared to what we have here. (Panzi Hospital in Bukavu has only 20 ventilators, the only ones to serve over 5.7 million people in South Kivu.)

With people having no money, and no way to earn money if things are shut down, Amani worries that more people will die from hunger than the Coronavirus / COVID-19.

Thus, your giving is making an impact now, more than ever. Also of note, Amani was trained by John Hopkins University in Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP), and your support will allow him to continue his work with the students and community at a safe distance, educating people in proper hand-washing, social distancing, healthy food preparation, and the impact those actions will make on the health of the greater community.

The DRC government has shut down school, churches, and any gathering of more than 20 people for at least four weeks, at which point they will evaluate the next steps based on the spread of the virus and the health response in the country.

Currently, Amani is overseeing a small staff preparing food to be served to the Congo Peace School students in the community for whom the school meals were their only source of food. Your support allows him to triage the community’s needs in fighting hunger and malnutrition as well as sourcing health care for those who fall ill, with access to Nurse Jeanine, a long-time staff member of our team.

The borders with Rwanda and Burundi have been closed, but there is still boat travel from Goma and via Tanzania, so supplies are limited, but available for us to continue to buy the rice and beans for the school meals.

It is also critical that we prepare for when this pandemic has passed, to re-open the school and continue to deepen our work in sustainability for the operations, both through the opening of the school’s boarding houses and the growing (literally!) community farm that will help feed the students. 

The students at the Peace School continue to be a source of hope for us all, like Cito, who shared via video here why she thinks equality will change the world.

We are grateful you are standing with these students and the people of Congo in this time that is unnerving and full of grief. Like never before we’re now reminded of just how connected we all are, how when one is suffering, we all suffer.

I often turn to Rebecca Solnit’s book Hope in the Dark when I need a reminder of what real hope looks like.

“To hope is dangerous, and yet it is the opposite of fear, for to live is to risk. I say all this because hope is not like a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. I say it because hope is an ax you break down doors with in an emergency; because hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the earth’s treasures and the grinding down of the poor and marginal. Hope just means another world might be possible, not promised, not guaranteed. Hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope. … To hope is to give yourself to the future, and that commitment to the future makes the present inhabitable. Anything could happen, and whether we act or not has everything to do with it.” – Rebecca Solnit

 Thank you for taking action with your partnership through Action Kivu. We’ll continue to keep you updated on the impact we see in Congo.

With love & hope –
Rebecca Snavely
Executive Director, Action Kivu

$100 toward 1 laptop for the Congo Peace School

Join us in providing laptops for students at the Congo Peace School! A local electronics supplier in South Kivu was so impressed with Amani Matabaro's vision of peace and equality realized through education and community, that they will sell us gently used laptops at a discounted price.

Most of the students have never seen a computer, and learning computer skills and word processing will give them a boost in education and the platform for economic equality.

With your $100 gift, you will receive a picture of a student using this new tool and showing off what they’ve learned!

Donate here and be sure to include the best email address for us to send you a photo once the laptops are purchased and the students have begun learning how to use them.

Learn more about the Congo Peace School here: https://www.actionkivu.org/peace-school

Wrapping up 2019 with gratitude and a new organic farm!

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

We hope that this busy holiday season you've had time to spend some slow hours embracing the darker winter days, lighting candles in the celebration of Hanukkah, Christmas, or soon, Kwanzaa. 

As we celebrated the winter solstice and now look to lengthening days of light in the northern hemisphere, it's a good time to pause to reflect on what this year has gifted us. Living near the equator, our Congolese partners in South Kivu, DRC don't experience the change of light and length in their days, but they have seen great change in the community of Mumosho because of your commitment to equality and peace through education and entrepreneur training. 

From Amani, our founding director and visionary leader:

With the support of you, our sustaining monthly donors, our partnership with Jewish World Watch, and the Guardian Donors through the Dillon Henry Foundation, we opened the second year of the Congo Peace School on the 3rd of September, 2019 to 280 students in primary classes 1-4 and secondary 1-3, with 44 preschool students in two different classes thanks to the Pedagogical Institute of Los Angeles, making a total of 324 students at the school.

Amani with some of the elementary school students.

We began the year with a one-week training for both the returning staff and newly hired staff. Focusing on the pillars of the Congo Peace School and what makes the project more than just a school, the training approach is participatory and seeks to ensure the teachers and the school support staff grasp clear practical knowledge on the following topics which are at the same time the pillars of the Congo Peace School, based on the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Congo Peace School teachers and staff engage in the journey to become practitioners of equality, respect, justice, grace, courage, caring, appreciation, simplicity, humility, and integrity, to name just a few. We covered the 64 ways to practice active nonviolence and the approach and methodology was to learn from one another. The first-year staff took the opportunity to teach new staff what they learned last year and this was one of the most exciting parts of the training.

One of the staff shared her experiences: Shukuru Bahizire said, "I am blessed to be part of the Congo Peace School family. This is the first time I am exposed to the content of nonviolence, transformational leadership, entrepreneurship and mental health in school settings. I am happy to learn and practice, I like the training approach [in which] we are discussing issues, we are given the opportunity to talk and speak our mind. However I realize it will take us time to really live a nonviolent life but if we succeed, our school will become a great source of inspiration to the others and it will spread and change is possible."

Shukuru Bahizire

As we raise funds and look for grants to develop the a community farm and animal husbandry program at the school, in order to supplement our school meals program with sustainably grown food, Amani began the project with a nursery filled with cabbages, red onions, carrots, and cucumber. As it’s community permaculture, the plants will be taken from the nurseries to be distributed among community members, with some to be grown on the school farm. In three months, we will be able to harvest if the rains don’t destroy the plants. The harvest depends on how the rains are, but we are expecting more than 500kg of cabbages on the school farm. (That translates to approximately 1,100 lbs of cabbage.)

In the above photo, agronomist Mukengere is teaching permaculture to community members near the Congo Peace School.

We are grateful for your work and support of this community in Mumosho, and Amani's visionary leadership and personal sacrifice. It is a model for the world of working in community to care for each other and meet the needs of individuals as a whole.
 
In the spring of 2019, 42 more women started small businesses, thanks to our family of donors who provided a year of free education for girls and women to learn the skill and trade of sewing, and to Pour Les Femmes for the grant to graduate the students with a machine and the tools necessary to launch their businesses and co-ops. You are part of changing lives and creating greater equality, education, and peace in Congo!

How can you continue to help us grow and deepen this life-changing work?

1. Create a personal post on social media and tag @actionkivu, sharing the impact of Amani’s work and message. Check out our blog for stories to share or re-post stories from our Instagram / Facebook feeds.

2. Make a year-end gift! https://www.actionkivu.org/donate

3. Share with others how a donation to Action Kivu will support a powerful vision for peace, connection, and equality by sharing our website: https://www.actionkivu.org/

4. Become a sustaining member with a monthly donation via https://www.patreon.com/congopeaceschool or https://www.actionkivu.org/. and receive monthly updates from Congo!

We are grateful for the candle you've lit with your commitment to peace and equality. Thank you. Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

DIY: How to make the most of Giving Tuesday (Hint: post early!)

This Giving Tuesday, Facebook has committed $7 million in matching donations to nonprofits! Their campaign starts at 8am Eastern, 5am Pacific, and that matching grant $ will go fast, with all the nonprofits vying for attention. (Where are our early birds who can post / encourage their community to give at 8am Eastern / 5am Pacific?)

This is where you come in! We'd love for you to DIY a personalized #GivingTuesday post for Action Kivu. We've linked to our four complementary initiatives here, and posted photos and links to videos below, that you can download or copy/paste to create a #GivingTuesday post specific to what makes your soul sing.

Whether it's education rooted in peace and nonviolence for kids previously denied access to school because of extreme poverty (the Congo Peace School), AIDS / HIV education and prevention (HIV Education) that literally saves lives through education, testing, and references for medical services, Entrepreneur Training for women to start small businesses, increasing the equality of women in Congo, or our Community Farm, teaching and implementing sustainable, aquaponic farming practices for the future of organic food and combating climate change while ending hunger, there is something for everyone to connect to!

How to: When you log in to Facebook, look in the left hand column, and under "Explore," click on Fundraisers, where you will be prompted to choose a nonprofit. Please share why you've chosen Action Kivu's life-transforming projects. Making it personal makes a difference.

If you're not on Facebook, there are several other ways to engage your community in Giving Tuesday: post on Instagram, Twitter, or compose your own email, and ask people to give via https://www.actionkivu.org/donate. With these options, you can encourage them to make their donation monthly - our sustaining monthly donors are critical to our work, as it makes it possible to plan for the year. With a monthly sustaining donation, people will be added to our monthly update with a video report straight from Congo!

Using the photos and videos posted below, you can highlight the impact a donor makes:

$12 buys one school uniform for a Congo Peace School student, made by a graduate of our Sewing Workshop.

$30 buys two egg-laying hens for the animal husbandry project, to support food security and sustainability.

$55 pays for one month of school for a student complete with with two daily meals, supplies, a backpack, and a uniform.

$150 pays for one month of one of the literacy teacher’s salary.

$200 pays for one month of family planning education and HIV/AIDS testing and prevention.

$660 pays for one year’s Congo Peace School tuition for one student (providing funds for a teacher, assistant teacher, supplies, and the support staff of the school).

https://www.actionkivu.org/peace-school

https://www.actionkivu.org/peace-school

https://www.actionkivu.org/community-farm

https://www.actionkivu.org/entrepreneur-training

https://www.actionkivu.org/hiv-education

Videos:

Amani's overview of Congo and his vision for peace through equality and education.

Student video: Peace Ambassador Rosalie's Thoughts on Nonviolence

Planting Seeds of Peace & Hope: Amani on the impact of nonviolence via a community farm.

We know there are many great nonprofits doing amazing work, and we are grateful that you have chosen to support Action Kivu!

Warmly,
Rebecca
___
Rebecca Snavely
Executive Director, Action Kivu

Brewtique's Holiday Bazaar: A day of celebrating regeneration, local makers & artisans, and Action Kivu's work!

Thanks to Brewtique’s Holiday Bazaar benefitting Action Kivu, we are feeling extra grateful this holiday! It was amazing to meet so many new people and introduce Amani and his vision for peace through education and equality. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us! Scroll through the galleries of photos below.

To deepen your impact and outreach:

• Make a donation in the name of a friend/family member (make a notation in PayPal's note to seller),

• For $3/month sign-up to be a sustaining member,

• Make a social media post tagging @actionkivu and share the impact of Amani’s work and message,

• Encourage one additional person to become a sustaining member via patreon.com or actionkivu.org,

• Share how your dollars will help support Action Kivu's vision for peace, connection and equality via the attached information sheet,

• Share the video we screened to introduce others to Amani’s vision.

Click on each photo to scroll through the galleries below!

Determined to Learn: Anouarite's Story

Nsimire's Story: Taking Charge and Creating Equality

Born into a family of boys, 19 year old Nsimire Barhalibirhu never got the chance to attend school. As is common in the region, the family chose to spend their money sending the boys to school, knowing that in an unequal society, boys would have more opportunity for jobs after graduating than a girl would.

Nsimire took her education into her own hands, and enrolled in Action Kivu's Sewing Workshop, graduating in March 2019 with a sewing machine, tools, and the skills to start her own business, thanks to funding from Pour les Femmes. Several years ago, she also learned how to make her own fabric in a training course supported by Jewish World Watch. Today she wears a skirt that she made from start to finish!

To support heroes like Nsimire and equality through education, become a monthly sustaining donor at actionkivu.org! Every dollar makes a difference.

Education, Equality, & Peace: The Congo Peace School and Action Kivu's Adult Education Programs

Education is the thread that ties together everything Action Kivu supports in Congo. The Entrepreneur Training provides education and training for women to launch a small businesses, that ties in to:

The Community Farm, providing both an education in organic farming and regeneration as well as crops to sell for income and for daily meals for the Congo Peace School students, students who are tied to:

An education grounded in peace, nonviolence, and equality, giving the students a sense of agency to act as ambassadors of peace, ready to change the world!

Join the movement today, and partner with the people of Congo.

A New Life: Sewing Workshop Class of 2018 Graduation

"We believe that by empowering women, training them, building their capacity, we are helping to make real the eradication of poverty, which is the first goal of sustainable development." ~ Amani Matabaro, Action Kivu's Founding Director and Executive Director of ABFEC in DRC.With gratitude to our family of donors who provide a year of free education for girls and women to learn a new skill, and to Pour Les Femmes for a grant to graduate 42 students with a machine and the tools necessary to launch a small business. You are part of changing lives and creating greater equality, education, and peace in Congo!

Julienne Baseke, a member of AFEM, the Women's Media Association in South Kivu, spoke to the graduating class of 42 students, inviting them to use all the knowledge they had gained, and to be generous with their knowledge. As reported on Mama Radio: "The jubilant opportunity," said Julienne, "sensitized these women about their rights as human beings while emphasizing their right to development, empowerment, and quality education."

If you are inspired to commit to the communities of Congo, please consider a monthly donation. That helps us plan for the future as we work toward greater equality, education, and peace for all.

Rosalie: Congo Peace School's Ambassador for Peace Speaks about Nonviolence

Today's inspiration from Rosalie, one of the Congo Peace School students: encouraging us all to go out and be courageous in peace & nonviolence! Rosalie dreams of being the president of a peaceful Congo, and she is practicing being an ambassador for peace every day.Please share to let others know about the exciting education grounded in Kingian peace & nonviolence principles at the Congo Peace School. Invest in a more peace-filled future here: actionkivu.org/peace-school.

Rosalie's Thoughts on Nonviolence:

Nonviolence. As for Gandhi, he defines nonviolence as nonparticipation of whatsoever one thinks is badly done, that in his book, all men are brothers. Nonviolence is a real resistance, a tactic and spiritual path which aims to trigger peace. Nonviolence rejects all forms of cowardice and requires courage of its practitioner. It is a matter of loving your opponent and being ready to forgive him/her. We, young girls of the Congo Peace School, the Congo of tomorrow, let’s be committed practitioners of nonviolence and peace ambassadors. Thank you!