Life for Indimwinja and her family was hard long before the coronavirus reached DR Congo. Poverty, violence, war, starvation . . . these were all daily struggles for their family of 10 for as long as she can remember. One night, war broke out in their village and her husband was taken by rebels. He was tortured for four days before being returned to his family severely crippled. Indimwinja was filled with a mix of emotions: happy her husband was home, devastated for the pain he had endured, scared the rebels would return, and unsure how to provide for their family. She decided moving to the slum community of Keredi would keep them safest, so they grabbed the little they had and left.

Although Keredi was safer, they still lived in poverty. Her husband was now unable to work, and they couldn’t afford the therapy that could help him recover. As if their struggle weren’t hard enough, the coronavirus shut down everything in DR Congo. Indimwinja had been selling t-shirts and vests along the streets, but her business suddenly stopped and their resources were quickly drained. Nothing she did was enough to provide for their family. Most days her children went to sleep with little to nothing to eat. She felt hopeless and drained. Would things ever get any better?

While Indimwinja was feeling most hopeless, something special happened. The ELI Academy, where six of her children attended school, came up with a plan to help care for struggling families like hers. She, her husband, and their children would be provided food staples during this pandemic! They received enough food to carry them through 5 months!

Along with the food, her children received lessons from their teachers and one-on-one tutoring when they struggled with their assignments. The staff from the ELI Academy wanted to make sure the children continued their education even when they couldn’t physically come to school.

 

Now that the pandemic is under control in Bukavu, there is talk all over the community about the wonderful children and teachers from the ELI Academy. Indimwinja observed, "The children learn to have a good relationship with Christ and it shows in their everyday behavior."

Something about them stands out, and people are starting to wonder what it is that makes them this way. Parents want their children to attend the school so they too can experience the hope these families have.