rescue. love + educate. reunite with family if possible.
Sabuli with Joshua, Calib and others on the steps of the Children’s Center.
Seven of the 15 new babies at Sabuli Children’s Center since early 2018.
Some of the patient and gifted “MAMAS’ who love and care for the children at the Children’s Center
Pastor Max & Lischa have been serving the children and Sabuli in Gemena for over a year. They are working on several projects as they follow God’s leading including the Judy Medical Clinic, the Gemena Community Center, Sabuli’s forty- hectare garden, and most importantly, serving and loving the children. To support Lischa and Max in the work they’re doing in the region, visit The Great Commission Foundation
The children have very little and are so appreciative of our support.
Lunch time for the little ones at the Children’s Center
Snack time at Sabuli Children’s Center
Early morning visit by anxious students to ask Sabuli for encouragement and prayer before a week of exams.
We brought soccer jerseys to Congo last summer (along with soccer balls) from generous teams and donors in the Lamorinda area. The boys and girls are grateful!
The children say “thank you” to all those who have donated shirts, jerseys, other clothing and games. This assures them that they are not forgotten.
About
I hold them and say: “if someone tells you, ‘you are an orphan,’ you tell them you are my children.”
- Mama Sabuli
SABULI SANGUMA’S STORY
Sabuli began rescuing orphaned and vulnerable children in her village, Gemena, in 2011. She initially welcomed a few orphans into her own home and they slept on her living room floor. They were safe here and cared for. Soon this grew from just a few children to 25.
Once Sabuli had 25 children sleeping on her living room floor she knew she needed another solution. Not only was this an impossible situation, but there was no room for additional children yet there was a huge need. Generous gifts from Peninsula Covenant Church, Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, CongoVoice and people like you have enabled her to build a home, called Sabuli Children’s Center, that is now home to more than 85 children. Including those who have “graduated” from the Center it has been home to over 130 children.
Sabuli’s husband, the Rev. Dr. Mossai Sanguma, is a pastor and professor and does tremendous work to bring about positive change in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
WHAT COMPELS SABULI TO DO THIS?
Sabuli is so grateful to God for protecting her own five biological children from years of brutal war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, her homeland. But her heart aches as she sees the suffering of so many orphaned and vulnerable homeless young children around her, living on the streets. Sabuli feels compelled to rescue these children, with the plan to reunite children with their families whenever possible. Now she directs a children’s center with over 85 children calling it home at any one time. She considers herself the mother of these dozens of children. They call her “Mama Sabuli”.
THE HOPE
Sabuli is often asked to take in newborns whose mothers have died in childbirth. In situations like this, Sabuli’s hope and prayer is to bring these newborns to good health, with the expectation of having some of them rejoin their father and extended family. This is decided on an individual basis carefully and prayerfully, and is only possible once the babies are weaned from milk formula. Caring for a motherless infant is a serious challenge in many ways. Baby milk formula is extremely expensive in Congo. It’s one of the Children’s Center’s largest expenses now.
FUTURE PLANS
Sabuli is working on a long-term solution to the tragic and recurring problem of young women dying in childbirth from PPH (Post Partum Hemorrhage). PPH is the leading cause of maternal death. When this happens, not only does the newborn lose their mother, but there are often other children at home who are then at risk of becoming orphans.
Newborns often don’t survive when their mother passes away from childbirth because there is no nutritious diet for the newborn. Infant milk formula is out of reach due to cost and availability. Motherless infants are often fed sugar water and tea, far from an adequate diet for an infant.
PPH is often the cause of maternal death, yet in Congo, there is no easy solution for this.
HELP IS ON THE WAY - UBT
Along with Congolese physicians, Dr. Ngossa and Dr. Kangawa, and USA physician Dr. Sam Choi, Sabuli is bringing a UBT solution (Uterin Balloon Tamponade) to her homeland. This procedure, developed by physicians at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital, will have a significant positive impact on this tragic problem. A USA team traveled to Congo last summer (2018) and introduced this procedure and trained health care workers at Gemena’s General Hospital. Over 100 nurses, doctors, midwives and medical students attended the training and received the 300 UBT kits that were brought. Mother’s lives are already being saved.
A small medical clinic was funded and is now near completion. This will be the hub for UBT training and distribution. We’ll discuss this more in a future blog on this site.
SABULI’S SUPPORT NETWORK
We are a small group of people (from Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, Peninsula Covenant Church, and CongoVoice) who volunteer our time, services, and pay all expenses to support Sabuli Sanguma in her tremendous effort to rescue vulnerable children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 100% of your donations go directly to support the children at Sabuli Children’s Center in Gemena, DRC. There are no overhead costs for fundraising or management. We are blessed to know Sabuli and passionate about her work in rescuing children. We have developed this website so that you may get to know the children and their stories. Please contact Kathryn with any questions or comments at KathrynDRCongo@iCloud.com
A quick futbol game at dusk before dinner and after a week of school exams.
Mama Marie, a Children’s Center mother, has her hands full with many new babies that arrived in 2018.
Building community in a safe place.