Education
Empowering Lives Christian Academy - Bukavu, D.R. Congo
Eastern Congo is an amazing place of contrasts. The peaceful and beautiful landscape does not tell the stories of war and poverty that surround the lives of the hundreds of thousands of families that struggle for daily survival from the villages to the large city of Bukavu. Families have fled to the city for safety but have then been displaced when rebels took over the strategic metropolis several years ago. There is now a semblance of peace and people are beginning to rebuild their lives and hopes for a better future.
In 2001 our national leaders under the direction of Mudekereza Nsibula worked tirelessly with a group of needy women from the Keredi slum. They met together regularly for discussions and the sharing of ideas that might enable them to pool their strengths and resources together. ELI partnered with approximately 30 women to help them initiate a soap making cottage business.
The business faced challenges but as they worked together the women also looked for direct ways to be able to educate their children. The public school was far in distance and the $15 per year school fee was beyond the financial reach of these struggling mothers and fathers. Out of desperation they each contributed a dollar to be able to hire a tutor who could teach their children simple alphabetization. Unfortunately the tutor began to take advantage of the children - using them as labor and the parents began losing hope for their children's futures.
ELI director Nsibula learned of the situation and began a dialogue with these parents. An agreement was reached and in 2002, ELI established Empowering Lives Christian Academy. Using a borrowed room near the slum the need and number of children soon quickly filled the two borrowed rooms. Within a year partners from the USA also caught the vision and enabled ELI to purchase a portion of land within the slum and the school shifted for a year to the small shacks that were already on the purchased property. Again - after prayer and more partners ELI began construction of more permanent classrooms and toilets. A lunch program was established and individual sponsors from the USA began partnering with individual children and the school in general.
Today Empowering Lives Christian Academy is providing a Christian Education to 500 children from the Keredi Slum in Bukavu, D.R. Congo. The school has been described as a "Light in our community" by grateful parents and guardians. The children meet every morning for prayer and Bible reading and receive a nutritious lunch every school day. Many of the children walk more than one and a half hours one way to attend the school. God has blessed our efforts and the school is providing a platform for relationships with the parents and guardians of the children. The potential for further ministry in this area is ready to expand in exciting ways and the reputation of the school and staff continues to shine a great example of Gods love and care for the people of this area.
In the video on this page the children begin by saying “Together we are Empowering Lives” Then as they dance they sing the words, “Look at us, Look at us, We are the scholars of ELI, Look at us” God has definitely looked down and shown his light upon this place.
Other Programs
- Adult Literacy training
- Tayloring
FUTURE EXPANSION
Presently ELI and friends of ELI are raising funds to purchase a neighboring piece of land in order to build more classrooms as well as establish a pharmacy and HIV/AIDS awareness and training Outpost. We are believing for more partners to join this important ministry - empowering the lives and futures of needy children and reaching the parents and guardians with a hope for now and eternity through Christ.