HFTN has been working in partnership with Africa Revival Ministries since 2004 in Gavita,  Democratic Republic of Congo.

More than 2.5 million people are estimated to have died in the Congo's complex four-year civil war, which involved seven foreign armies and numerous rebel groups that often fought among themselves.

Despite the peace agreement and power-sharing plan signed between the main parties in the Congolese war, the fighting and killing continued. In April 2003, hundreds of civilians were massacred in the eastern province of Ituri in an ethnic conflict. In June a French force with a UN mandate was deployed to defend the population from further tribal fighting.

In Congo, there is nothing other than what the people themselves can generate, or what a few can give. The government is not involved at all, and in fact this is the forgotten area of the Congo. There is still ongoing war there also, although not to the extent of in Burundi. In the Congo we are not having to deal with bureaucracy to reach the children in need. The degree of risk for diseasessuch asbacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, plague, and sleeping sickness are very high.  We can get to them and help immediately.

The school situation is so desperate that they use the same buildings for both primary and secondary school. The primary school goes from 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and then the secondary school goes from 1:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Hope Academy

We now have 30 children and 10 widows and mamas who will care for the children. It has taken a little longer to complete the necessary renovations, but we are satisfied with the progress and they will be quite comfortable in their new surroundings.

Children, teens and housemothers rescued from the Gatumba massacre

To date they have had little area for the children to play so we had everyone over to our house for a lunch and games. This is the first time the children have had an opportunity to run and play on grass since arriving from the camp. All but two have recovered from To date they have had little area for the children to play so we had everyone over to our house for a lunch and games. This is the first time the children have had an opportunity to run and play on grass since arriving from the camp. All but two have recovered from their wounds and it was such a joy to see the smiles and hear the laughter from these dear ones.