The Congo Children Trust is a registered charity in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. They support

street children Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids, or urchins; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policymakers ...

in the D.R.Congo through projects and partner organisations. The vision of the Congo Children Trust is to "improve the quality of life for children living on the streets in the Democratic Republic of Congo".

History

The Congo Children Trust was formed in 2007 by Ian Harvey. Ian set up the trust after working in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

, which is the capital of D.R.Congo, during the first democratic elections in 2006. During this time, Ian observed a sharp rise in the numbers of street children since previously working in the D.R.Congo in the 1990s. The increased number of street children in the D.R.Congo had been a result of the wars during 1996-1997 and 1998-2003.

Street children in the D.R.Congo

It is estimated that there are 250,000 children living on the streets in the D.R.Congo. Children find themselves homeless through a number of factors, accusations of witchcraft,

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

, a death of one/both parents due to

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, extended family being unable to support the child and parental separation. Whilst living on the street the children are exposed to daily violence, sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The street children lack secure access to their basic needs such as food and shelter.

Projects

The Congo Children Trust's main project is Kimbilio, which receives 98% of the funding raised by the trust. The Kimbilio project, set up in 2009, is based in

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi ( , ; former ; former ) is the second-largest Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital ...

, D.R.Congo. Kimbilio runs a day centre and four homes for street children in Lubumbashi and seeks to reunite children with their families. In 2021, Kimbilio opened a primary school for former street children and children whose families are on zero or low income.

Trustees and staff

The Congo Children Trust has no paid members of staff in the UK, all staff are volunteers.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is the founder of the Children Congo Trust and set up the Kimbilio project. Harvey attended the University of London, where he studied Social Anthropology. After being qualified as a Social Worker, Ian worked in child protection. Harvey managed Manchester's social work team, where he supported and assessed unaccompanied asylum seeking young people and children. In 2009 Harvey moved to D.R.Congo and set up project Kimbilio. In 2013 Harvey returned to the UK to oversee the development and running of Kimbilio.

Mark Gant

Mark Gant is the

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

of the Congo Children Trust. Gant is the Head of Modern Languages at the

University of Chester The University of Chester is a public university located in Chester, England. The university originated as the first purpose-built teacher training college in the UK. As a university, it now occupies five campuses, campus sites in and around Ch ...

. Gant was involved in the establishment and initial planning of the Kimbilio project.

Funding

About 98% of the money funded by the Congo Children Trust goes to the Kimbilio project. The Kimbilio project uses this money to support street children, for example school fees, food, staff payments, construction costs and health care. The Congo Children Trust runs through donations, fundraising and grants.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://congochildrentrust.org/ Charities based in the United Kingdom