Addressing Poverty through the Local Church in Eastern

Congo

Mission Statement

‘Empowering the local church to serve the most vulnerable’

World Relief & World Relief DR Congo

• Founded 70 years ago and affiliated with the National Association of Evangelicals

• 2,000+ staff in 50 offices internationally and in the USA • Nine country offices in Africa • In the DRC since 1994, activities primarily in the areas of agricultural

development, savings (SFL), microfinance, HIV/AIDS, SGBV, peace-building and church empowerment

• The largest by client numbers microfinance institution in eastern DRC with 17,000+ clients and $3 million portfolio -- HEKIMA

• 105 national staff in Goma, Bukavu, Kavumu, Rutshuru, Nyamitaba and Burungu (new HEKIMA office to soon open in Uvira)

“You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can’t save the people if you don't serve the people.” – Cornel West Justice Conference 2015 Featured Speaker

Eastern DR Congo

Old Orientale now the provinces of Bas-Uele, Haut-Elele, Ituri & Tshopo Old Katanga now the provinces of Tanganyika, Lualaba, Haut-Lomami & Haut-Katanga

Minerals & Natural Resources The DR Congo is home to some of the greatest concentration of valuable raw minerals in the world. Just to give one example, 70% of the world’s reserves of coltan (used to make cell phones) and 30% of diamond reserves are found in the DRC. In addition, the DRC possesses 50% of all remaining forested land on the African continent. Some of the richest land in the world is in eastern DRC.

And yet the DRC is one of the world’s poorest countries.

Why?

Dysfunctional Government and National Leadership Vacuum

Fifty-five years of independence have not brought many developmental benefits to the most vulnerable people in society. Although education is accessible to many millions, job opportunities remain limited. Mobutu’s record-setting kleptocracy from 1965-97 set the stage for Laurent Kabila’s corruption and lack of vision which has led directly to Joseph Kabila’s 14 years of dysfunction and incompetence. 458 political parties and 19,000 candidates contested the November 2011 General Election but this ‘flowering’ of democracy has failed to convince anyone inside or outside the country that the elites have any desire in sharing their immense power, wealth or prestige with anyone.

Why the Church?

The Church has: 1. The Largest PARTICIPATION 2. The Simplest ADMINISTRATION 3. The Fastest PROLIFERATION 4. The Longest CONTINUATION 5. The Strongest AUTHORIZATION 6. The Highest MOTIVATION 7. The Widest DISTRIBUTION

Integral Mission

“If we ignore the world we betray the word of God, which sends us out to serve the world. If we ignore the word of God we have nothing to bring to the world. Justice and justification by faith, worship and political action, the spiritual and the material, personal change and structural change belong together. As in the life of Jesus, being, doing and saying are at the heart of our integral task”. --Micah Network Conference, 2001

Integral Mission can best be defined as ordinary people in community as the church seeing people as Jesus saw them, naturally teaching and doing the things Jesus did in the way Jesus did, with the attitude Jesus had and with the objectives and outcomes Jesus had.

Church Empowerment Zone

Basic Principles and Steps Towards CEZ Implementation • Population of approximately 50,000 households • Commitment to work in the CEZ for at least 10 years • 15+ church denominations • Vision-casting conference • Selection of Church Network Committees • Training of CNC leaders and Integral Mission volunteers • Training in Transformation Tree Curriculum • Seed projects • Integration of program activities into CNC plan of action

World Relief Peace Building Program

• Started as a very small church-to-church response to conflict in DRC • Utilized church leaders within community structures to resolve

disputes and promote conflict resolution • In time, United States Institute for Peace (USIP) invested funds into a

research and expansion program in South Kivu • Today, 80 Village Peace Committees serve a population of 200,000+

people mediating and resolving hundreds of conflicts annually – multi-tribal, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual

• Provides the inspiration and hope that a local church-led response to community problems can provide locally-inspired solutions which are long-term

Process

Pastors

Community

Training Team

Church Network Committee4. TOT 1(Tree Curriculum)

TOT 2 & TOT 3 (Managing, Evaluation, Sustainability)

1. Pastor Invitation to Training Team

3. Choose IMT’s

6. Seed Projects

7. Abbreviated TOT 2 and TOT 3 (Pastor’s version)

8. Ongoing capacity building

2. Vision Seminar(Vision curriculum)

Integral Mission Volunteers

Integral Mission Trainers

5. Choose IM Volunteers

Church Empowerment Zone

9. Monitor OutcomesCommunity starts to join churchesPeople start getting HealthyPeople start accepting JesusChurches get planted