Kinshasa, the capital of D R Congo, is a city that has repeatedly experienced a rapid increase in population in recent times. The reason for this growth is mainly the internal migration and displacement of people due to poverty and war. Mamy Show Foundation has supported the most vulnerable in society: orphaned children. We have been working there for the last two years, and today we bring you the story of young Mumbele.

In 2019, a team member came across Mumbele when he visited Binza Macampagne in Kinshasa. By then ten years old, this young boy was washing, cleaning, and carrying big pots with his tiny hands. Our team member asked why he wasn’t at school. The child looked at his employer (a baker) and continued with his work without answering.

The question was repeated in a different manner “do you want to go to school son?” The boy answered, “How? I need to do this”.

Our team member asked if he could speak with the child’s father to see if we could arrange something with his local school so that the boy could attend. Mumbele responded, “I don’t have one.” Our team in Kinshasa specialises in sponsoring orphan children and building water wells. When we realised Mumbele was an orphan, we approached his employer and told him the nature of our work; we asked him if we could take him for a couple of hours to see if we could do something to help improve his situation. The employer agreed. We asked Mumbele if his mother was alive, and he replied, “yes”. After hesitation to walk home with us due to fear of being kidnapped or sold, which is sadly the norm in his society, Mumbele was comforted by our female staff and took us to meet his mother.