Dear Friend,

As we face the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic together, our thoughts turn to our brothers and sisters in DR Congo. We remain in close contact with Camille and Esther, who have been sending video updates from Goma.

We wanted to share with you what the conditions are like in DR Congo, what our leaders are doing and what we need to continue our work. 

On March 10, the first reported case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Kinshasa. DR Congo President Tshisekedi took swift action to slow its spread, closing churches, schools, sporting venues, and other meeting places. On March 24, he closed the borders and declared a state of emergency.

Our leadership team in Goma has been abiding by the governmental directives and praying for a quick resolution to this crisis. But Africa New Day programs have been greatly disrupted:

Our 540 children have been sent home from our school.

Our Leadership Academy closed.

Our men’s and women’s programs cannot assemble.

The church cannot hold services. 

Contingency plans are being created, executed and revised as the situation evolves. But despite these new challenges, our eyes are not down but up. 

Because we believe that our help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.

Camille tells us, “We are pushing forward and we will not be deterred. We have created leaders and those leaders now have the opportunity to be change makers in their communities… Now is the time to lead!”

Camille is on the radio preaching Sunday messages as well as communicating regularly with the greater Eastern DR Congo population. His words provide a refuge and light to the communities in Goma and a credible source of information on proper hygiene protocol and psychological health while dispelling rumors and misinformation. 

For our children, teachers are delivering packets of schoolwork to continue their education at home. We are also working on an application to provide online classes through our website. 

We know that COVID-19 is affecting our programs, but we believe that through God’s will, we will come out the other side of this pandemic stronger than ever before and with more resolve. 

The impact of the virus has created four immediate needs:

Education - We have a moral obligation to pay our teachers, who are working to continue the curriculum for the kids at home. We are asking parents to pay their fees but expect the rapidly changing economics of the region will leave them without the resources. At a rate of $25,000 per month for our teacher’s wages and taxes, we need $75,000 to bridge the gap. 

Phone Minutes - The surging need for increased communication requires more minutes to allow the continued flow of information, advice and best practices in dealing with COVID-19. Social distancing makes this need even more critical to keep our organization moving forward. The phone minutes needed will cost $6,000.

Media - Regional radio airtime can reach approximately 11 million listeners across Congo and into Rwanda, at a cost of $1.75 per minute. We would like to broadcast messages of awareness, prevention, safety, counseling and biblical messages. For a span of 90 days, two hours of daily airtime would cost $18,900. A daily segment on local TV ($150) during the same span would cost $13,500, for a total media need of $32,400. Our reach could be expanded further based on financial capacity.

Entrepreneurship - When you empower people to be the solution, resources become the only limitation. Our entrepreneurs have incredibly vital plans (sanitizing services, telecommunication services) that need seed funding. At this critical time, we can equip 10 entrepreneurs to put their ideas into motion for $25,000.

These four requests represent a gap funding amount of $138,400, an amount that was not planned for in our 2020 budget. Now more than ever, we need to support the work of Camille and Esther in Goma.

So much has been accomplished to date, but at this challenging time, so much could be lost. 

Please help us continue to educate, communicate, spread our message and create more leaders by donating here.

My prayer is that God will glorify himself through this pandemic and when it is over we will not go back to the way it was but how it should always be, our attention on Him.

God Bless.

Michael Freeman
Executive Director