Uvira Flooding: A message from Daniel Alooci Rukukuye, Coordinator of Congo for Christ Centre (our partner in DR Congo).
Children and Families left with no where to go
Our world has been turned upside down with COVID-19. As the world struggles to respond to the overwhelming needs caused by COVID-19, the city of Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo awoke on Friday April 17, 2020 to extreme flooding - more than 3500 homes were washed away and 24 people are confirmed dead, with possibly many others.
The Msenwa Foundation’s partner, Congo for Christ Centre, sent us the following urgent report:
“We thank God all the children and staff are physically safe; however, we are feeling helpless due to the overwhelming needs.
Some of our staff and sponsored children living in the community have seen their homes washed away by the flooding and have lost all their belongings. The entire city of Uvira is under a flooding emergency, on top of COVID-19 challenges. Several people are still missing and rescue efforts are underway. Uvira has experienced heavier rains this year, but the flooding on Thursday night was unprecedented. Due to the heavy rains in Uvira, Lake Tanganyika had already flooded many homes, causing many families to evacuate their homes. Many had to live on the street or in churches due to this situation.
On Thursday, April 16, 2020, Mulongwe River flooded. Because it flows down the mountain, it uprooted anything in its path. The rain started around 1 am when many people were sleeping. By the time people realized it, their homes and neighbourhoods were already flooded. Many attempted to escape but could not make it to safety due to the water pressure from the river. The city of Uvira is in a very painful situation, not only because of the human and material losses, but also because the rain is expected to continue until the end of May and thousands are worrying about where their next meal will come from.
Luckily, Congo for Christ Centre did not suffer human losses but two of the offices were severely affected and many students of Mango Tree Primary School awoke with no homes and all their belongings washed away. The church affiliated with Congo for Christ Centre has lost two people so far due to this flooding.
Uvira has been concentrating on stopping the spread of COVID-19, and is now faced with unbearable needs – over 24 people to bury and thousands left homeless. This flooding has also affected the city’s water and sewerage reservoirs – we now have no running water. People in Uvira are left wondering where help is going to come from. We know the Lord is our shepherd.
We need our brothers and sisters around the world to act with love and compassion otherwise we will see many more human losses due to hunger and other preventable diseases. We know many of you, our sponsors, friends and families are going through hard times right now due to COVID-19, and we understand all the pressure on your shoulders. Our request for you is to please pray with us and act as you so feel led.”
We were blessed by your overwhelming support for emergency COVID-19 support for our work in DR Congo. With your support, we were able to purchase enough emergency food and sanitation supplies for the children we serve. With this additional emergency, the Msenwa Foundation is again humbly seeking your financial support of any kind to help raise $5,000 to purchase food and other basic needs for children and families in Uvira who have lost their homes and loved ones in the flood. We want to show the people of Uvira that – they are not alone - God loves them and so do we. Thank you so very much for your compassion and prayers at this time.
The Msenwa Foundation appreciates your generous support. Please consider making a financial gift of any kind (remember anything is better than nothing). For those in Canada, please make your cheque to The Great Commission Foundation, memo: Msenwa Foundation #603 (The Great Commission Foundation, PO Box 14006, Abbotsford BC, V2T 0B4). In the US, cheques can be made to Friends of the Great Commission Foundation, memo: Msenwa Foundation #603 (Friends of the Great Commission, PO Box 8000 PMB 215, Sumas, WA 98295-8000) or donate online in Canada or US at our website (www.msenwafoundation.com).
Massive Flooding of Mulongwe River in Uvira, DR Congo
