Empowering communities through impactful programs, our nonprofit is dedicated to creating lasting positive change for those in need.
Written By Global Orphan Foundation Ety is our DRC Country Director and the glue that keeps US staff and DRC staff together! He has worked with us since the beginning and we are incredibly lucky to have him on our team. We sat down with Ety recently for him to share some of his thoughts with us. Ety: My name is Ety Muyaya. So, I've been working with GOF for what is now about six years, since 2014. I've been working as a country director. Question: What has been your favorite part of working with GOF? Ety: My favorite part was when I was welcoming these kids here. So, I was proud of myself and proud of the GOF team, the whole GOF team, because I was able to give to those kids a home and an area where they can live - like a community, like a kind of a family. So that's my favorite part of this job. Question: What's the difference between a DRC orphanage and Bolingo Village? Ety: So the difference between a regular orphanage and Bolingo Village is this: in a regular orphanage, kids are sharing beds and sharing everything, and there is not enough space for children. And there is not enough food for children. The children are fighting for one doll. So, there are not enough employees that can take care of children, who can give them love, and can assist them. They are sharing space, sharing food, sharing toys; sometimes there is not enough for them. And they need healthcare. They don’t go to school because there is not someone who can provide for the school. So the difference is simple. In Bolingo Village, we put kids in homes. We give them hope. We build a home, we give them a house. With a foster care mom inside, they can take care of them like they are growing happily in a family. And we are building a community. Those kids can have access to healthcare, because we have a clinic here, and we are taking care of their education; we pay for school for them. That is the main difference between Bolingo Village and orphanages, regular orphanages in DRC. Here, we take care of kids in a different way, because we are trying to build a community, we’re trying to build a big family. They can live inside of a house, inside a home with a foster care mom who can give them love and more attention. Question: What would you say is the main difference between the US and DRC? Ety: So, the US is a developed country. DRC is a poor country. That is the main difference. In the US, you guys have roads, hospitals, schools, you have social security. You are really organized, but here, DRC is not really organized. In the West Division, people don’t have access to healthcare, people don’t have access to school, to education. People don’t have access to jobs, which makes a lot of people abandon their kids. That is a reason why there’s a lot of abandoned kids and orphans. So that is the big difference between DRC and America. Question: How has GOF changed since you started? Ety: In the beginning, GOF started with other projects. We were working on other projects: we were fighting against malnutrition, working with orphanages and trying to provide them with food and plumpy nuts, and some healthcare, to help kids be healthy. At a certain time, that project was working very well. But the point was, these kids still didn’t have homes, they didn’t have access to school, they didn’t have access to healthcare. That is why GOF moved to build this village: to help those kids live in a community, to have access to education, healthcare, and to grow up in a kind of community. Question: Why do you love Global Orphan Foundation? Ety: GOF is really special - it’s very special because it’s changed the lives of many orphans here in DRC. So kids who are living in Bolingo Village, they are not living life like kids living in an orphanage. They're living like people living in a community. Every house here, or every home, has about 8 children with one Mama. So they're living in a regular home, with a mom who can take care of them. They grow up like they’re in a family. I think that is a big change. That’s something very great, which has made the Global Orphan Foundation very special. The other thing that's made Global Orphan Foundation very special is because they give these kids the chance to get educated, to go to school. To be in touch with other kids like normal kids. Kids who are living here in Bolingo Village, they’re living like normal kids. They don't feel like outsiders. They feel like they are living in a family, and they have access to education. And when they are sick, they can have easy access to health care, because there is a clinic in Global Orphan Foundation’s Bolingo Village. There is a big clinic; we have nurses, we have doctors, we have lab technicians. I mean, that is the gift, the big gift that GOF has to offer. And it’s made GOF very, very special for me. And I think for everybody who is living in this village, and also for people who are living around this village, because the clinic is not only for kids who are living inside of the village. It's also for people living outside of this village. They can have access to healthcare, too. Ety is, and has always, done an amazing job. We’re lucky to have him - we wouldn’t be where we are today without his dedication to the kids. Watch his interview below:
Bolingo Village has had our eye on ensuring each kiddo has access to the spiritual and emotional care that they need and deserve since we opened. To that end, we have a pastoral team and a trauma counselor. A few weeks ago, the pastoral team and trauma counselor came together to discuss what they could do together that would best benefit the village. Their solution: help heal our foster moms. As a mom, I know how difficult it can be to feel the weight of raising a child. I say this knowing that I have all the support and benefits of doing so in the US, with little personal trauma, and all the luxuries that privilege can offer. Our Foster Moms don’t have the same reality. These women have grown up in a culture that does not value them. They have trauma and histories that don’t easily lend themselves to being warm and empathetic - but they do their best for our kiddos. I’ve said it many times - these women are the backbone of Bolingo. They set the tone for life in the village. They support our kiddos. They are the ones that can genuinely and consistently help our kiddos heal from their trauma. I’m thrilled that their emotional care is front of mind for our staff on the ground. Now, in addition to one-on-one sessions with the counselor and weekly bible study, they will have a monthly “support group”. They’ll come together and discuss how they’re doing, what has challenged them, and what from their past may have caused that issue. These sessions will encourage our Foster Moms to lift each other up and, with the support of the counselor and pastoral team, to heal and grow for themselves and the children of Bolingo Village.
It’s a boy!! Bolingo Village’s newest baby goat, that is. I’ll be honest; it’s been quite the ride getting to this point. After all, we’re not exactly dairy goat experts. However, we were determined to be successful at increasing self-sustainability in the village. So, we embarked on our dairy goat journey with loads of research, trial and error, and prayers. Here’s how we got here: Let there be goats! In February of 2020, we purchased 10 dairy goats. Sounds simple enough, right? So we thought - but since dairy goats aren’t common in Bolingo’s region, they boarded a plane to get to us. Sadly, two of our new herd members didn’t make it, and only 8 goats remained, one male and 7 females. Are they, or aren’t they? Our vet came to the village frequently to check on the goats and determine if any were pregnant. He said that five of them were! Months went on, and it was clear that they were not. So, we switched vets. He said that we almost certainly had 3-5 pregnant goats. As you can imagine, vet training and equipment are pretty different in DRC. We waited the 5-month gestational period to no avail; still no baby goats. We were seriously considering figuring out how to make a goat take a CVS pregnancy test. Amid this confusion, I made a trip to Bolingo and saw for myself that several goats were definitely (maybe?) pregnant. How pregnant, though? There was nothing to do but prepare, wait, and see. A series of unfortunate events. Nearly back to back, we had one mama have a miscarriage, one give labor by c-section, and one give birth to two fragile babies. Unfortunately, we lost a mom and 3 babies in this tumultuous time. The one silver lining is that we still got milk for the kiddos at Bolingo. So, we did more research, said more prayers, and made some adjustments to how we were caring for our goats. We considered nutrition, the heat in Congo, and common diseases - anything to ensure that our next mama would give birth to a healthy baby. FINALLY Two days ago, we finally had a mama goat give birth to a very healthy, spry baby goat. He was immediately able to stand up and get milk from his mom. It was music to our ears. At last, we have a new male to join the herd, AND we have two moms providing milk for the kiddos in the village. We’re confident that this winning streak will continue and that we will keep growing our goat fam and provide more and more milk to the Bolingo Fam. Cheers!
Holidays are restorative. They’re a time for us to slow down, consider what’s important, and spend time with friends and family. In 2021, we all rediscovered our normal; these family and respite times have been even more critical. This year was a year of growth in Bolingo Village as well; we are happy to report that we have had a fantastic year! In 2021 we: Added new houses to double our capacity. Provided over 37,000 nutritiously balanced meals. Expanded our farm operations (traditional crops and livestock). Hired two tutors to give our children, many of whom have never attended school, a needed and better educational support. Hired a pastoral team to care for the children’s spiritual and emotional needs. Employed 30 community members a fair wage in a country where three in four people live on less than $1.90 per day. Read over 365 bedtime stories, played countless soccer games and make-believe, and kissed every boo-boo. To create a legacy of change, Bolingo Village must generate the necessary funds to offset operations. To help us get there, our founders have committed to covering all operating expenses – but our programs need your support! Over the next year, we want to do many things, build more houses, double the number of children in Bolingo Village--AGAIN, and provide more community medical services. The children of Bolingo village and its supporters would greatly appreciate if you joined our effort to create a life for these children. By making an investment in their lives you are not only impacting them today but for generations to come and transforming a whole community. A $100 donation will help support enrichment activities for the children at Bolingo Village. A $300 donation buys and supports a chicken or goat for a year – giving children a sustainable source of protein. A $1,500 donation sponsors one child at Bolingo Village for a year! A $3,000 donation feeds one Bolingo Village Family three balanced meals a day for a year. Welcome a new family of 9! Only $35,000 to build a home for 9! Please click here today to help us. Every dollar makes a difference. We are so grateful for your support! Rachel Tanner, US Director
Hey GOF Fam, Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to supporting your favorite causes, and we hope we're one of yours! This year, we're raising funds to provide welcome kits for new kids we will be welcoming home to Bolingo Village. We currently have space for 40 new kids! We're thrilled to expand the Bolingo family and with your help we can ensure we have everything they need for their transition to their forever home. For more details on what your gift will provide, checkout the video below. We'll see you all tomorrow!! P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on social media to stay in the loop on how we’re doing :)
Yesterday marked the 20th observance of Orphan Sunday, a day where churches across the globe come together to benefit the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we strive to defend the cause of the fatherless. Every day that is what we do at Global Orphan Foundation. We look after orphans and widows in their distress as we’re instructed in James 1:27. We do this by employing widowed women to be our foster moms and taking in children who would otherwise end up in unfunded and overcrowded orphanages. Watch the video below to learn more about this remarkable campaign, or click here to help GOF serve more kids through a donation.
We all know the saying, "health is wealth." That reigns true for us at Global Orphan Foundation, especially when it comes to the kids who call Bolingo Village home. When we were planning to open Bolingo Village, we knew that implementing some form of consistent health care was a necessity. We just didn't know what it would look like exactly. Now, several years later, we feel like we've got a good handle on it. One component of our healthcare plan for these kids is monthly medical exams. Once a month, all the kiddos head down to the clinic where our physician, nurse, and lab technician are waiting. One by one, each child heads over to our nurse, who takes their vitals; height, weight, temperature, oxygen levels, etc. All the basics that inform us of how our kids are growing and developing and that their bodies are functioning well. Next, our nurse moves on to tracking any health or related psychological behaviors like bed-wetting, fatigue, or brief attention span. For our little ones five and under, she uses our MUAC bands around their arms to ensure they're at an excellent nutritional standing. Otherwise (you guys know the drill), it's time for Plumpy'Nut! Next up is being seen by our physician. Our doctor does a brief physical examination but primarily discusses any symptoms or concerns with the child and foster mom. He will order any lab testing to diagnose suspected illness. Before our physician can prescribe medication for a serious disease like malaria, lab testing or a rapid test is always performed to ensure we're not flippantly prescribing medication. Our lab tech performs the ordered labs, reports it back to our doctor, and the appropriate medication is prescribed. It's a pretty standard system, right? The thing that's not standard about our medical exams is the frequency. Why do we have them once a month, rather than once a year like here in the U.S.? Let's start with the fact that we're in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Susceptibility to severe disease is more common. Exposure to less severe illnesses that can often go unnoticed unless seen by a doctor, like tapeworms or dehydration, is also more likely. The following reason is so that we can measure the children's growth. We want to see how much weight and height they've gained from month to month, especially in the first few months after moving in. The last reason is pretty simple; these children have been entrusted in our care. We want to say we have been doing every single thing we can to ensure that they are healthy and thriving.
A few months ago, we announced that we were breaking ground on some new building projects in Bolingo Village. We're thrilled to tell you that this building phase is complete!! Here's what we built: Staff House It's always been in our plan to have a staff house. Before finishing this building phase, our staff was living in one of our family homes. Additionally, we had another family home open for when U.S. staff came for a visit. But, due to the growth of Bolingo and the number of residential staff members we have, we knew it was time to build them a more suitable house. So, we now have a building with five separate bedrooms for staff members and one large room for when U.S. staff comes to visit. Plus, it has a separate entrance and apartment for the village manager. Completing this staff house means that we opened up two additional family homes that are ready and waiting for new kids! 3 New Family Homes That's right. We have three brand new homes. Combined with the two houses that opened up from building the staff house, we now have five homes to welcome new family members. That's 40 new children. We can't wait to begin to welcome them home! Soccer Field We are so excited to have a regulation-sized soccer field finally. The area will first and foremost be a place for kids to play their favorite sport and get their energy out. Secondly, it will serve as the location for community members to come and play in a league! We've been talking about having a community league for years, complete with jerseys and all, and now it can finally happen. Of course, we have bleachers so our foster moms and sports fans can comfortably watch the action. We can't express enough how excited and grateful we are to be able to expand Bolingo Village. It's happening more quickly and successfully than we ever could've imagined. So here's welcoming new members to the Bolingo family!
Bolingo Village was a goal for years before it was a reality. Now, with our gates open and the sounds of our kiddos running and playing filling the air for over two years, we wanted to look back at some of the mistakes we had to overcome (and are still overcoming) on the journey to help orphaned children. Making assumptions based on our US experience has been our most significant and most repeated error. Global Orphan Foundation has always worked as a team comprised of our small working board, US, and DRC staff. The US staff has learned repeatedly that DRC, as a country, operates entirely differently than the US. We strive always to confirm our assumptions - but sometimes it feels like our DRC staff's jobs are primarily to correct us. Here are a couple of examples: Small onsite clinic: When our clinic first opened, we had a doctor and a nurse. We also invested in essential lab equipment that our medical staff told us that we would need. We assumed that the current team would operate the lab equipment that they deemed necessary - that was not the case. In DRC, lab techs perform all diagnostics. The doctor cannot confirm a diagnosis without lab results. We were dead in the water without a lab tech. Employee Benefits: DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average annual family income is $695. We made some assumptions about standards for workers being the same as, or lower than, those in the US. We were wrong. In DRC, employees are rightly treated incredibly well - by mandate - not by choice. Employers must pay for their healthcare (including dental, vision, and any hospital stays). In addition, employers have legal requirements for base pay, housing allotments, travel pay, annual raises based on tenure and experience level, legally mandated three-month maternity leave with compensation, and strict guidelines for termination and severance. The local school system: We create and adjust care plans for the children every quarter. In this past session, we included questions for all staff about what we could be doing better. We were shocked to hear most of our team talk about the level of education the children were getting at the local school being poor. We assumed that the government oversaw the school, and if they weren't doing a good job, there would be an intervention and correction based on the students' achievement. Instead, we were shocked that the children were only getting lessons in two subject areas - not all required subjects. We immediately hired a tutor to help with the missing subjects and are working to open up a school next year. These are just a few of the wrong assumptions that we made when planning for Bolingo Village. We are constantly learning, growing, and checking on the assumption that we know how things work in a different country.
I’ll be honest - cooking in DRC can be a little tricky. Certainly much different than the cooking experience we have here in the U.S. It’s HOT in Congo, many don’t have access to electricity and appliances, and the culture surrounding cooking is simply different. Let’s explore what traditional cooking and cuisine are like in DRC! The average household in Congo doesn’t have the option to cook inside. Their houses are often smaller and are not equipped with an oven, microwave, or traditional stove. So how do they cook their food? The Congolese heating source of choice is a good ol’ charcoal fire. Many heat up their food on an open fire, while some use an outdoor cookstove - a small metal stove with a top for charcoal and an open window at the bottom to release heat. Cooking is almost always done outdoors because it is safer and, quite frankly, it’s just too hot to cook indoors. So, what’s on the menu for Congolese? A traditional dish consists of different combinations of chicken or fish with cassava leaves, hot pepper sauce, bananas, rice, peanuts, and palm nuts. They often whip up chikwanga, which is cassava cooked and stored in banana leaves. Of course, we can’t forget about fufu, which is by far the most traditional food I’ve heard of and experienced in Congo. Fufu is a sticky, dough-like staple made from cassava flour. The starch is eaten with soup or stew preparations as it doesn’t have any potent taste of its own. From what I’ve seen at Bolingo, there is almost always a large scoop of fufu on a plate with meat and vegetables cooked in a thin, soup-like sauce. They pick off a piece of the fufu with their hand and dip it in the sauce. It’s DELICIOUS. I love that we typically stick to traditional cuisine in Bolingo Village. Our farmers concentrate on typical Congolese crops such as cassava, corn, peanuts, and leafy greens. Even though we’re able to grow and purchase other items, it’s so important to us that we’re staying culturally relevant. Plus, it’s what the Bolingo families like to eat! When we ask the kids what their favorite food is, almost everyone says fufu and chicken (or soso as they say in Lingala). Even though we have indoor stoves in our houses, most of the foster moms prefer to use their clean outdoor cookstoves. It’s what they know and they LOVE doing it. They truly pride themselves on preparing delicious meals for the kids every single day, and for that, we are most grateful.
Our goal with Bolingo Village has always been to care for the whole child. We're not just trying to house and feed the greatest number of children. That wouldn't be enough. We're trying to ensure that each child is happy. That we're helping them heal from their past traumas. That they're getting extra attention in areas that they need. Caring for the whole child means digging deeper than just a statistic because every child is so much more than that. That's why we created care plans specific to each child on our most recent trip. Our village manager and I sat down with each foster mom and did a deep dive into how each child is doing; in school, physical health, behavioral issues, etc. Should they be having counseling sessions with the pastor? Do they need to work with our tutor? What are they interested in doing when they grow up? I'll be honest, these meetings were long and tedious, but SO WORTH IT! Now each child has a development plan curated to their needs. Some will have counseling sessions with the pastor once a week due to their foster mom's behavioral concerns. Some only once a month. Some need to see a tutor to work on their French. Some are already killing it in French - so no need for a tutor! Selfishly, these meetings also painted a better picture of each child for me. You think you know a kid, but you'll be amazed at what you discover after speaking with their mama. I'm sure all of our moms reading can attest to this! The Bolingo family doesn't just end with the kiddos - our staff members need some love too. So, we had meetings with them to hear their thoughts on the village and their satisfaction working with us. Is it a safe place for children? What more could we be doing to benefit the kids long-term? How can we improve their job satisfaction? I was slightly amazed by some of the information we learned. For example, most of our staff members don't have transportation to and from work. They either have to pay $2 of their hard-earned money to get a taxi motorcycle or walk an hour there and back. We can't have that! So, we worked out a schedule to ensure that they all have transportation. Communication, folks, that's all it takes! We plan to continue these meetings on every trip we take to Bolingo. We'll assess and adapt each child's plan based on their progress. We can't wait to see each child's growth right before our eyes!
It’s no secret that we LOVE our foster moms. They’re part of what makes Bolingo Village work. They nurture and care for the kids like their own, help keep the village functioning properly, and liven the place up while doing it! So, we thought it would be fun to pay homage to these beautiful women who do so much. Enjoy!
Empowering communities through impactful programs, our nonprofit is dedicated to creating lasting positive change for those in need.