2020 Year-End Update

Hello from Winnipeg, where we have roofs over our head and food in our fridge!

I sense you know where this is going, but let me first backtrack to let you know what’s been happening over the past year at Mukanzo Orphanage Foundation.

Just to remind you… Odette Mukole (who fled to Canada with 3 young children in 2000 after threats due to her involvement with human rights), founded this orphanage in 2011 in her family home in Tshikapa DRCongo after her parents passed away and she heard about the overwhelming need in her former village.

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By 2014 she was quickly becoming overwhelmed with the financial and emotional responsibility of running an orphanage abroad, and was contemplating closure. It was then that she learned about Madeline and Lizzie, age 10 at the time, who had a burden for these children and wanted to help.

Since then we have formed both Canadian and Congolese boards. We also now have charitable status in Canada. Since 2014, with your help, we have been able to provide childcare, shelter, clothing, one meal per day, a garden, and school fees for the 37 kids of Mukanzo Orphanage Foundation (MOF).

We were also able to provide $250 USD to our 3 graduates last spring, 2 of whom went on to study in Kinshasa! We are so excited to help these new grads break the cycle of poverty!

We have provided menstrual hygiene kits for all of our older girls and young women to ensure that they do not have to miss school, and solar powered lanterns to help them study at night. Over the past year and a half we have almost completely renovated the home where the children are living, including a new roof, electricity and water, new windows, a new paint job and a new fence surrounding the compound.

A few weeks ago 2 long awaited bathrooms with flush toilets FINALLY replaced the single outhouse the children had been using since the beginning. None of this would have been possible without YOU!

We are honoured that you have chosen to partner with us. We have also seen the hand of God in our midst. In fall we secured a new treasurer for our Canadian board. We are grateful to Nathan Apalit for stepping in! Also, in February Odette was able to make the trip to Tshikapa to visit the orphanage. For >2 weeks Odette was able to meet with many locals and organizations to drum up support. She also met with each child, caregiver, and board member to help determine needed changes. We are so grateful that she was able to make it home before COVID-19.

While in Tshikapa Odette found Caleb and Josef, 2 men who were already passionate about and involved with helping vulnerable children. In recent weeks we have seen so many ways in which their involvement is beneficial to the children of Mukanzo.

Caleb recently suggested a bread oven and 2 sewing machines to teach the children new skills. We jumped on this chance to increase their self sufficiency! Caleb has found people to train the children in baking bread (to eat as well as to sell locally), and to sew…you guessed it….FACE MASKS!

Our prayer is that the children can begin to generate small incomes with which to help support themselves. So this is all very good news, wouldn’t you say?!!

So here’s the tough part. Our 2 biggest fundraisers for the year happen in March and in June. Both of these have now been cancelled due to the threat of COVID 19. Every month we send approximately $1600 Cdn to Tshikapa for the care of the children of Mukanzo. This does not include unexpected medical expenses, renovations, or capital projects.

This works out to $43/month to support one child. We have 37 precious children to support.

Our commitment to you is that we will make the most of your support, combining it with other donations to invest in the long term resources and future of our children. We promise to keep administrative costs to a minimum.

We hope to continue to provide health and hope to the children of Mukanzo for years to come. We have dreams of increased self sufficiency and expansion to help more kids. We are a small volunteer Canadian board with big hearts and a desire to help these vulnerable children.

PLEASE consider helping us! We need you now more than ever.

Donating is as Easy as “1-2-3”!

1. Write a cheque made out to “Accountable Development Works” with Mukanzo Orphanage in the subject line. Send this cheque to:

Mukanzo Orphanage
83 Monck Ave
Winnipeg MB
R2H 1W8

2. E-transfer your donation to MukanzoOrphanage@Gmail.com

3. If you would like to set up a monthly donation, please go to the Accountable Development Works page on CanadaHelps.org. When choosing which fund to donate to, make sure to pick “Mukanzo Orphanage (DR Congo).”