On July 1st, our much-anticipated 10-year anniversary gala event of Revive Congo took place at the Amnesty International headquarters in Shoreditch. The night was filled with laughter, tears and hope as we celebrated a decade of supporting young children in need in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Hosted by Cynthia Kams, the event kicked off with a touching presentation by our inspirational Co Founders, Pamela and Lakeisha who shared how the charity’s humble beginnings started with a simple discussion between two Congolese law students at McDonald’s, eventually growing into a force for positive change through supporting children in the DRC by providing access to education and necessities for a brighter future.
During the event, we shed light on the alarming statistics in the DRC. Currently, 60% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 attend primary school, but a concerning 73% of them leave school without acquiring basic skills in French and Maths.
Amongst other factors, this leads to significant challenges in their employability, with a staggering 70% of the youth population (aged 15-24) being unemployed. It is in response to these challenges that Revive Congo was born.
We highlighted some of our key achievements over the past 10 years, having undertaken significant projects, particularly the provision of primary education to children with our partner Mission Marie orphanage in Kinshasa. We have also ensured access to basic needs like water, sanitation and hygiene.
Our UK-based summer programme has been instrumental in fostering networking and leadership skills for young people in the diaspora and we have conducted research to understand the educational disparities faced by certain minority groups in the UK. Other notable achievements include the success of Junior’s Charity Walk, which raised over £7,000 towards our projects, and the addition of new children to our school programmes. Junior gave a captivating speech about Brunelle, a girl at the orphanage in Congo who he has had the privilege to see grow as an individual throughout his time volunteering.
Despite this, there is still more work to be done. We also shared our future plans, which include expanding the Youth Programme in the UK and establishing a new IT skills centre in the DRC. We strive to continue to support more children into receiving primary education, particularly girls and we also place our efforts into understanding some of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.
We would like to thank everyone who attended our 10-year anniversary Gala and honor the hard work of everyone involved, from our dedicated volunteers and partners to the performers to our generous donors. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors/partners, for their invaluable support, as well as EGT Events for the beautiful decor. We look forward to meeting you all again soon!
