In July 2020, the founders of Lights of the World Inc. took interest in helping an Orphanage in the village of Mubambiro in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The orphanage had existed for some time but was in extremely poor shape. The founder had just passed away, donors were few, the kids were on the brink of starvation, and they were facing eviction from the shack they were living in.
After taking care of their immediate needs for food and improved shelter, we decided to take a more active role in creating a better environment for these children:
- We purchased 1 acre of land and built two modest houses to make sure the children had a roof over their heads from which they could never be evicted.
- We helped lease and buy seeds so they could farm a plot of land and grow crops that would help put food on their table.
- We continue to send a monthly stipend, which takes care of most of the food needs. From time to time, other people of good will help the orphanage. Particularly around the holidays, the orphanage does receive donations of money, food, clothes, etc., and it is absolutely wonderful to see but when the pantry is empty, Lights of the World, Inc. replenishes it and takes care of the other expenses (medical, etc.) as they come up.
- We also take care of school fees. We are proud to say that all of the children of age are enrolled and thriving in school. A few of the children are approaching adulthood, and we are focused on providing these children with a path to adulthood. We have set up a scholarship fund to help pay college or trade school fees for these children.
Currently, the orphanage houses approximately 70 children ages ranging from 3 to 18 years old. Most of the children have lost one or both parents to the civil war that has been raging silently in this part of the world for close to 30 years. The number of children fluctuates as, from time to time, gives are picked up by some grandparent or distant relative, and new kids arrive all the time. Most kids have, however, have been there most of their lives.
Our involvement with the orphanage inspired us to look for other avenues to impact the world positively and create a broader vision.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to assist vulnerable people in rural parts of Africa. We have specifically targeted regions in Kasai (central DRC) and Kivu (Eastern Congo), where the Children Lights of the World Orphanage exists. We want to put our resources and our experience at the service of these communities. We recognize that there are people of goodwill with the means and desire to assist these same vulnerable populations and we want to be a trusted, transparent partner to assist these people of goodwill in making a positive impact through volunteering and sponsorship opportunities. We are a Non-profit we very little overhead. Every dollar contributed to our mission reaches the people in need.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create sustainable communities through the execution of concrete projects such as the Lights of the World Orphanage in Mubambiro, Kivu or the Farming Community Center in Mpongo, Kasai. We want to put a smile back on the faces of the orphaned children and those who serve them in the Kivu and the Kasai provinces, which have suffered from civil disturbances in the last many years. People of goodwill will be kindly invited to contribute resources for the implementation of the programs described below. To bring donors close to the beneficiaries, donors and volunteers will be encouraged to make field visits, meet the beneficiaries, monitor transparency in order to make sure the program is also learning from external observations.
Drop Us a Message!
If you have any inquiries about us and our programs, please do not hesitate to send us a message. We would love to entertain them.