.jpg)
Key People: Pastor Israel Ngiribabo and Sebastien Cirhakarhula
This report has been done following a video phone call to discuss the partnership as we are currently not able to visit due to the Ebola outbreak.
The Ebola outbreak has caused issues for the community with government restrictions and measures to control the spread. Bright Hope World sent a one-off amount of $1,500 to help churches set up sanitisation and protective measures to enable them to remain open.
In the area of Goma, so far there have only been two recorded deaths and in some cases, people have regained their health, so they are not as affected as other areas.
They have continued to train tailoring focussing on women who have been affected by sexual violence either by the war or in domestic issues. Many women have been raped, and have given birth to children, which means they are struggling to look after these babies. The sewing programmes aim to give a skill and then create an income for the women to look after their families.
Along with the sewing trainings they have been running many courses for men training them on how to be a positive masculine person. They are saying this is really helping the areas they have been working in, so that the numbers of women facing this issue is dropping.
Currently they are completing another round of tailoring training, with 27 students who will finish in September 2026. The previous training course for 28 was completed in November 2025. The cost of these courses has been met by the partner, as they are using previous students as the trainers who are volunteering and some funds have been donated by previous trainees as well. They are requesting for some funds to buy machines for the women from these two completed courses, US$145 per person (total $7,935).
The last funds we sent for sewing machines was $5,250 in September 2025 which purchased machines for the previously finished courses.
In the future they are looking at completing two more courses in different villages in the next year and then finishing this project as they will have met most of the demand of the targeted women.
The impact for the women who have been trained and received a sewing machine has been to give them an income source to look after their own families. Sebastien says when he talks to the women they are managing to earn around US$5 to $7 per day or up to $30 to $40 per week. A fantastic result for them!
In October 2025 Bright Hope World agreed to send US$15,000 to help set up an income generating activity based on using the sewing trainees to create sustainable income for the partnership. The ladies who have been trained work on a voluntary practical for a month after training, which produces clothes that they can sell. They also have the best tailors remain, who are the teachers and they continue to produce clothes for sale.
The aim of the income generation was to help fund the orphans project (DRC09a) and provide some additional income to help with other activities. BHW used to give US$6,000 per year to the orphan’s project, but has stopped this since September 2025.
The first few months after starting went very well, with the sewing IGA making an income of $2,700 less costs of $600 meaning a profit of $2,100 per month. Since the Ebola outbreak things have slowed down to an income of $1,800 less costs of $600 leaving a profit of $1,200 per month.
This is still a great result and has meant they can cover the costs of the orphan’s project. They are very encouraged by this outcome.
This year another fund was given for the farmers to buy seeds of corn and potatoes, with a change in the programme to make sure the farmers can save their own seeds and also repay seeds back to the partnership so they can fund the next round of farmers.
The target is farmers who are coming back to their land after they were displaced to the IDP refugee camps. They come back to nothing so have needed a capital boost to get life going again.
This season, the June season or season A as they call it, has shown some great results. Note there will be a season B in December as well.
Farmers have managed to harvest enough to keep seeds for the next season for themselves, repay the partnership with seeds to distribute to others, pay for many household items and children's school fees, and have given some extra funds to AE for use in the project. This amount has totalled to US$1,900 so far.
I recommend that we fund the sewing machines for the completed participants, both for the two currently completed courses and then the last two courses that will happen over the next year.
I also suggest that we allow the partnership to contribute some of the funds they have created from the farming towards the sewing machines. The total for the 56 sewing kits is US$7,915. BHW will send $6,015 and ask them to cover $1,900 out of the farming profit they have.