Sabbath 18/9/35/120B                                                                                                  

Dear Friends,

Update on the Congo Situation in North Kivu.

Faustin Bukaraba, the CCG Coordinator in North Kivu, with his brethren that had crossed the border into Uganda into Nyakabande transit camp in Kisoro were all transferred to the refugee camp in Kamwenge Rwamwanja district of Uganda.

When they got there they were surprised to find eleven other Coordinators of CCG with their brethren in the camp that were able to evacuate from North Kivu. There have been over 500,000 displaced from North Kivu since April 2012. The Coordinators from the following Congo DR districts that are in the camp are:

1. Butembo - Coordinator Jean-Pol Ngongo
2. Bwisha - Coordinator Kilikili Komboyeki Son
3. Gatare - Coordinator Jorome Mporanyi Ndikubwiko
4. Kanyabayonga - Coordinator Joseph Ngalula
5. Kayindo - Coordinator Legesse Nigussu
6. Kirorerwa - Coordinator Herman Mweze
7. Kitchanga - Coordinator Jacque Musugani Nyangoma
8. Kiwanja - Coordinator Mugemba Ntambara
9. Masisi - Coordinator Isidore Kashiba
10. Mugunga - Coordinator André Shematsi
11. Mushaki - Coordinator Jean Mutabazi Mpongano

They managed to relocate 321 members of the families to that camp.  We know that many of the Goma people also fled to Rwanda and Burundi and north towards Beni and Bunia and inland.

The officers have organised the Christian Churches of God with admin officers and woman’s affairs officers in the camp and the administrators of the camp checked their bona fides with the Coordinator of CCG Uganda, Bizimana Bosco, who confirmed that they were members of CCG from Congo DR and the authorities gave permission for an official element of CCG to be established there. So they are now organised.

We are sending funds from the US, SA, AU and elsewhere. Many arrived with literally nothing, not even clothing, and no food. If you can help please send what you can to the national secretaries who will forward the assistance to Bizimana Bosco at Kampala. We are setting up a ten machine tailoring school in the camp.

They are establishing food growing areas in the camp involving cabbage, onions, beans and corn and also projects for education.  They have asked CCG Uganda to send instructors from Kampala to teach a group of young people the tailoring skills to establish a factory program in Congo DR on their return and we will micro finance them into the machines. It is much cheaper to set up the school in the camp rather than send them to Kampala. They need Bible and printing capacities there for the CCG Bible Education programs. Bizimana has sent 10 Bibles, and they need at least 90 Bibles.

It is a very encouraging thing to see the hand of God helping our brethren and putting them together and their place of safety is literally in a refugee camp with a recognised element of CCG helping to organise their affairs in consultation with the National Branch of CCG in Uganda.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General