Hello friends, I am Polisi Kivava Baudouin. I am based in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I serve as National Field Staff. In my role, I am in charge of relief and development work among CBM’s partners in Africa.
Please pray for the participants of our peacebuilding programs. May they actively seek peace and reconciliation as they interact with their neighbours and communities.
It is now one year and eleven months since I was sent by CBM to work with a new partner in Congo which is called “Baptist Churches Community in Eastern Congo”. This denomination had been split in two since 1997 until 2018 due to ethnic conflict where one group was called the majority and the second group the minority.
This sustainable peacekeeping project for young people in Goma targets youth vulnerable to unemployment and violence. CBCA and CBM aim to empower young men and women and promote peace in communities through practical and entrepreneurial skills training. Support this project through financial contributions and prayer.
Of the total population, 73 percent live below $1.90 a day, the international poverty line.
The rate of women exposed to sexual violence in the DRC is approximated at 40 percent.
It is estimated almost half of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are malnourished.
The Community of Baptist Churches in Central Africa (CBCA) gained independence in 1964 and has 418 recognized congregations.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Past conflict over the country’s rich supply of natural resources immersed the DRC into one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world; insecurity, disease, and malnutrition continue to burden the Congolese.
On Saturday 22 May 2021, the Nyiragongo Volcano, about 15 km North of Goma erupted and destroyed more than 200 houses, occasioning the death of 35 people, some caught by the lava, others in accidents and even some more by gas from the lava trying to cross. The eruption was followed by violent tremors of earthquakes, which damaged a lot of buildings.
