A Return to Their Communities

For the last many years, our families from the communities of Katembe and Luhonga, as well as thousands from the other surrounding communities and towns, have been living in two internal displacement camps called Bulengo and Sam-Sam. Although the conditions of the camp have been horrible and less than ideal, these camps have been their home for the last number of years. On February 6th, the M23 rebels issued a statement saying that the camps were to be shut down and that each person had 72 hours to leave and return to their original communities.

Despite the ongoing instability—military violence, food shortages, and the destruction of homes—we are committed to supporting our families as they begin returning to their villages. Hands at Work leaders, together with the local Hands at Work team in Goma, have been working to develop a plan that will allow people to return while mitigating the immense risks they face. The strategy includes preparing Care Points in the communities to function as temporary refugee camps, providing daily meals, and beginning to plant food crops while the season still allows. By some miracle, the Care Points have remained standing despite the chaos of the war.  

On February 14th + 17th, our families from Luhonga and Katembe returned safely to their communities and are in process of rebuilding their lives. The Goma team is moving forward in faith, trusting that God will make a way even in the face of deep uncertainty.

• Please pray for protection over those who will be returning first. Pray that they will be shielded from harm.

• Pray for wisdom and discernment for Hands at Work leadership and the Goma team as they make critical decisions.

• Pray for provision - of food, resources, and the funds needed to sustain this response.

• Pray for the families who are displaced. Pray that they will experience God’s nearness in their suffering.

• Pray for peace and stability in Goma and that the violence would cease and communities would be restored.

Next Steps Forward

**The photo above is from the mandatory meeting at the stadium in Goma

On January 29th, we shared the update that the M23 rebels (who are backed by the Rwandan government) had taken control of Goma, the major city located in the north-eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. For many days, there was heavy gunfire, looting, and no electricity or access to water, meaning that Hands at Work leaders were unable to be in contact with our local Hands at Work team in Goma.

On February 3rd, Bindu (the coordinator of the Goma team) was able to connect with Hands at Work leadership and share that he was able to meet in Buhimba community with half of our children, Primary Caregivers, and Care Workers from the Sam-Sam internal displacement camp. This is a huge answer to prayer.

Following that, on February 6th, the M23 rebels called a mandatory meeting at the stadium in Goma for everyone who lives in the city. As a Hands at Work family, we urgently joined hands in prayer, as we know that meetings like these, when everyone is in one place, can become violent situations.

By the grace of God, the meeting went smoothly. The M23 asked people to send their children back to school as soon as possible and shared that all activities and work in government offices should resume as soon as possible. They talked of wanting to bring peace and protect people from violence.

• Please pray that the M23 rebels will stay true to their word and bring peace to Goma and the surrounding areas.

• Pray that they will stay true to their word and protect people, not for their own motives, but for the sake of the most vulnerable.

Pray for Goma

**The photo used is a screenshot taken from Aljazeera News Source

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been plagued by decades of war. Hands at Work has served in DRC communities devastated by this unrest since 2006. The north-eastern province around the city of Goma has continued to experience the constant threat of rebel attacks and war. Conflict between the Congolese army and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels has been raging for years. In the last few years, it has escalated, due to an intensifying effort from the M23 rebels, supported by the Rwandan government, to aggressively invade more and more territory in the Eastern DRC, which they managed to do, causing a widespread humanitarian crisis.

First, they took the small towns and communities and eventually moved to take the bigger cities before reaching Goma. Thousands were displaced from their homes, food prices soared, and hunger and disease were rampant. At the start of the war, our people from the Luhonga Community fled to a place called Bulengo, where there is a massive displacement camp. In late 2023, when the war got close to the community of Katembe, the people there fled to a place called Sake, but in February 2024, everyone from the displacement camp in Sake, as well as residents of Sake, fled to the Bulengo camp. Sadly, this camp had no space for them so they found another open piece of land where a new displacement camp called Sam-Sam was formed. The consistent threat of violence for civilians was and continues to be a devastating daily reality.

On Saturday 25th January at 5am, the rebels invaded Goma and took the airport and other key areas. Since then, they have infiltrated every part of Goma and even gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the Congolese troops to surrender or be killed. From there, all electricity and water were cut off and on Monday 27th January at 1pm, Hands at Work lost contact with our people in Goma. At that stage, Goma was being looted and under heavy gunfire.

Currently, we are unaware of what is happening in the displacement camps in Bulengo and Sam-Sam. Some reports indicate that people have fled to Rwanda or are trying to get into Uganda, but it remains unclear. With the little communication that Hands at Work leaders have had, we have encouraged our children, Primary Caregivers and Care Workers not to run, as they have a better chance of survival if they stay in the camps. However, we don’t know if they have stayed, or what the situation is like in the camps.

• Pray for our children, Primary Caregivers and Care Workers, that they will not run and disappear. If they run, there is a chance that we will never see them again. Pray that they will stay and that God will protect them.

• In Goma, Hands at Work has a local team on the ground who have been directly responding to this crisis, working around the clock to ensure the children and their families have a safe place to shelter and providing the essentials of daily meals and basic healthcare. Pray that they will be safe and that God will give them strength, courage and protection. Pray that the M23 rebels will have mercy in the displacement camps and that we can continue with feeding the most vulnerable children.  

•  Lastly, please pray for the women in Goma. For years, rape and sexual abuse have been a regular weapon in Goma and we fear for the women as these foreign soldiers are flooding the city. Pray for God’s divine protection over their lives and that by God’s grace, they will be spared from this additional trauma.

Meet the local Hands at Work team in Goma

Our local Hands at Work team in Goma lead and serve amidst the most unbelievable circumstances. Whether it is violence and conflict or the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo near their city, they have been called by God for such a time as this. In the chaos, instead of focusing inward on their own families, they are radically leading the Care Workers to look out for the needs of the vulnerable first.
We want to introduce you to them (in George Snyman’s words):

Bahati is the gentle one, defying many tense situations

Bindu is our Paul - his dreams for Goma scares me stiff. He had a radical salvation, so he has no understanding how someone can only give 90% after Jesus gave everything. But his soft heart for children makes him so popular that wherever we go on the bike, we hear shouts from children, “Bindu Bindu!”

Denise is so sparky, pushing the boundaries a bit with tradition, but boy she is the enforcer in the office of processes and doing things right. I call her the trustworthy one.

Jehoshaphat is the servant. Always in the background. Often with a crowd of children around him.

Zawadi is the mother hen, fixing things behind the scenes but now and then she gets on her soap box, and then we all run. 

Caring for the Under-Fives

With thousands of people displaced and living in the overcrowded camps around Goma, there is a health crisis. The underlying food crisis is worsening, causing a high incidence of severe malnutrition. This affects the youngest ones the most, putting them at higher risk for sickness from cholera, typhoid, malaria, and the recent outbreak of M-pox. Thankfully, the under-fives programme was already started in these communities, and so in the face of these health challenges is a great benefit to the children. They come to the Care Point in the morning where they receive nutritional porridge and are stimulated by simple routines like play, rest and learning. There is very limited access to medical clinics around the camps. At the end of September 2024, the small Red Cross clinic in one of the camps closed, requiring people to travel 30 minutes by motorbike to receive care.

Back to School

The children haven’t been to school for the two years since they were displaced. Thanks to the advocacy of the local Hands at Work leaders and lessons learned from earlier smaller scale efforts, the children were able to return to school for the first time in September 2024. Classrooms were built at the Care Points in the Internal Displacement camps for the younger ones in Grades 1 and 2 so that they can receive extra love and care without needing to travel long distances. The older children in Grades 3 through 6 are registered to attend community school several kilometers away. The blessing of school is that it gives the children structure and purpose to each day. Without school, the children often wander throughout the camp with no protection and are more vulnerable to enter into negative behaviors.   

Memory* is one of the children. She was born into a situation filled with trauma. Because of this, her mother was mentally unwell and unable to care for her. Over the years, Memory and her mum have received healing from God through the love of the Care Workers. Finally, Memory was able to go to school for the first time, which was a great blessing for her mother. Even her mother has been impacted by the Care Workers and has committed to being one herself - which has contributed to the improvement of her mental health. Praise the Lord! 

Please pray that the children will attend school where they are safe and have structure and God can grow their knowledge and wisdom.

A Refuge at Night

The camps are not safe at night. As the families lie down to sleep, on ground covered in volcanic rocks, they can hear the fighting and bombs. Mutobe and Furaha are the coordinators of the Katembe community-based organization (CBO). At night, Mutobe sleeps at the Care Point to protect the food for the children. Furaha opens her small tent to offer protection to many children who don’t have a parent at home that night. Recently, during a gathering of Care Workers where they were using scripture to pray, they reflected on Psalm 56: 3: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Furura said that she would pray this verse each night.

Fleeing to a New Refugee Camp

At the start of the war, our people from Luhonga fled to a place called Bulengo, where there is a massive refugee camp. This is where our Primary Caregivers and Care Workers are now and where they are feeding the children.

When the war got close to the community of Katembe, the people fled to a place called Sake in late 2023. In February, everyone from the refugee camp in Sake as well as everyone who lived in Sake fled to Goma, but the Bulengo camp had no space for them so they found another open piece of land where a new refugee camp is busy forming. This is new refugee camp is called Sam-Sam. It is smaller but still houses tens of thousands of people. The most vulnerable families that we are serving and the Care Workers are among the large number of people who have fled and formed this new camp due to the M23 invasion and bombings in Sake.

We have tried to keep all of our children, their families and the Care Workers from Katembe together. Within this big piece of land of Sam-Sam, we have found one piece on the edge of the area. This is where everyone is building their temporary home (tent like shacks).

There is a small wooden house here which has been turned into a Care Point. This is where we will build a simple fence made of canvas around the house to demarcate the Care Point as a place of safety and we will dig a toilet here. This is that place where we feed the children. They receive porridge in the morning and lunch at the Care Point.

A Temporary Return to Luhonga

In 2023, as the conflict temporarily settled, the local Hands at Work team in Goma began assisting the most vulnerable families in returning to Luhonga. Tragically, these efforts were abruptly halted when the war escalated once more, forcing people to flee again. Our Care Point in Luhonga is now under rebel control and is being used as their base of operations. Currently, the most vulnerable children, their families, and the Care Workers are living in the Bulengo Internal Displacement Camp, where diseases are rampant and survival comes with constant dangers. The harsh conditions of the camp have forced many children to live like street children. Yet, amid these immense challenges and seeming hopelessness, there are glimmers of hope. The Care Workers continue to serve the children faithfully. Each day, the children receive a hot, nutritious meal at the Care Point, and the Care Workers are growing both in their knowledge of Jesus and in their relationships with one another.

Distribution of Clothing and Back to School



We bought a big bale of second-hand clothing and managed to give each child something warm. This group photo is probably the most memorable so far. It tells such a story if you can see beyond what normal eyes see.

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Today, our children were back at school! Praise God!

Lost and Found!

Since last week our leaders in Luhonga, the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been searching extensively in all the surrounding refugee camps for our children who went missing as they fled from the conflict that broke out in their villages.

Yesterday they found one of our boys. He was excited to show us the shoes he used to run from the war. Today all were found except 2 of the children who we are still looking for.

Please continue to pray for our leaders and their teams in Luhonga as they continue to go out in the midst of conflict to find every single one of our missing children.

Please Pray for Katembe

Please pray for our Care Point in Katembe. We've got one week's food left and at the moment we cannot get into Katembe and it is very difficult for those who are in Katembe to get out. It is very dangerous.

Pray for Care Workers and our Primary Caregivers who are in the refugee camps in Buhimba.  They do not have tents, water or food. Hands at Work is purchasing canvas today so they can make their own tents, and providing water. We do not have provision of food for Care Workers and Primary Caregivers within the budget, so we are trying to work that out.

Pray for our children in our own camp - that God will keep protecting them and our Care Workers. We are trying to ensure a hygienic environment in the camp.

The situation even just outside of the church is desperately unclean and is ripe for all sorts of disease. Please pray for God's protection, the health of our children and for their safety. It is a very unsafe environment right now.

Fleeing from Sake to Goma

People fleeing from Sake to Goma. Spoke to Bindu today, our children are safe in our camp. The raining season started now and they are doing their best to keep everyone dry in our camp. Pray specifically for no disease outbreaks. And for all the children and Primary Care Givers that are not with us yet. For Katembe, please pray for the safety of all of them in the village.

In Buhimba | Everyone from Sake fled - and the rain is coming strong. Please pray for the team and keep praying for good health.

More Children Arriving in Buhimba

As of yesterday more children are arriving into Buhimba. Pray for our team as they give basic care in impossible circumstances, pray for each child as this is obviously causing huge trauma. Contine to pray for our children in Sake and other places safety

Join Us in Prayer

Yesterday, in the mountainous region of Katembe where Hands at Work established a Life Centre in 2021 and where we are caring for 100 orphaned and vulnerable children, violence spread so close to the village that people were forced to flee on foot for their lives. Grandmothers and children are scattered down the mountain and Hands at Work are desperately searching for those who will not survive without support and care.

Please pray for the community of Katembe, for our children and their Care Givers including the very elderly and sick. Pray for our local team on the ground to locate those who had to flee. Pray for peace to reign in and around Katembe.

To learn more about the escalating crisis in Goma, please visit this trusted site:
Al Jazeera: The cost of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s war with M23

Please pray for peace and stability in the region, the protection of the most vulnerable who are caught in the crossfire, and the hearts of those engaged in the conflict to be opened to the saving grace of Jesus. If you are moved to support our ongoing work in the DRC financially, please click on the link at the bottom of this page.