The young people at the (future) Maison Kimbilio in Lubumbashi, DRC marked the International Day of Street Children yesterday by taking mattresses out to sleep at the site of their new centre, reports mission partner Ian Harvey, working with Project Kimbilio.
"At Kimbilio today our children have moved out to sleep for the first time at the site of the new centre. We have been busy taking out bunk beds, mattresses etc over the last week. They will be staying there on a temporary basis over the Easter holidays! They have been really excited about this prospect and wanted to start sleeping there as soon as they finished their exams last Friday! It is great that this corresponds with the International Day of the Street children which is a campaign to give a louder voice to the millions of children all around the world who live and work on the streets.
"Our toilet and shower block is now complete and usable! It is currently being tiled and the next step is to get running water into the taps! There is a Congolese team who will be digging a well on site over the next few days! I don't envy them that task!"
Maison Kimbilio is a proposed children’s village situated on the eastern outskirts of Lubumbashi, the 2nd city of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A four-hectare site which is currently mostly scrub land has been purchased by the Anglican Church of Congo and made available to Kimbilio for its development. It has a small stream running on one of its boundaries providing a ready source of water.
The site will comprise of accommodation for children in three houses; a primary school and other educational and training facilities; a football field and other sports grounds; offices and meeting rooms; agricultural fields; health care facilities; staff accommodation.