Thank you to those who joined our team and changed the lives of hundreds of children in the D.R. Congo by starting Mango Tree School.
We believe the children at Congo For Christ Orphanage and in their community are the future leaders of D.R. Congo and will bring restoration to their war-torn land.
Their education is a top priority.
You can continue to make a difference by providing support to keep Mango Tree School open.
You can also support Mango Tree School simply by sharing the MTS story online!
Watch the video below to understand more about the Congo For Christ Center and Mango Tree School journey.
The Mango Tree School Story
In October 2007, Reverend Jeremiah Rukukuye, his wife, and children established a ministry center named Congo For Christ Center (CCC) in Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Congo for Christ Missionary Church (CCMC) and CCC campus was born. Global Outreach who began supporting Reverend Jeremiah in 1996 as he attended Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College, along with ministry partners funded construction of a large four room building which now serves as the dormitory for 57 orphans at the CCC Orphanage and as classrooms for CCC Revival Bible College (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4).
God has been at work in Uvira providing the means for multiple mission trips to provide medical support (Link) and training for the church and orphans living at the CCC Orphanage (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3). A potable water system for the campus was miraculously installed (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3) and the first class from the Bible College recently graduated in 2012. The health of the 57 orphans has greatly improved and a thriving garden (Link) is now part of the CCC campus.
The health of the 57 orphans at CCC has greatly improved.
Since our first visit to CCC we have been concerned about education for our orphans and the children of the church members. We learned that if parents are unable to pay public education fees, the children do not go to school. Even some of CCMC pastors' children have not always been able to attend. But even when children can go to school the overall quality of education in the Congo is poor. Many times the public school teachers simply do not show up for school and some have gone so far as to solicit money or sexual favors from their students.
But the overall quality of education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is poor.
In 2011 we began the long process of securing government approval to open a school on the CCC campus. In 2012 Mango Tree School was officially licensed to open but we did not have the funds to open the school and continued to seek ways to start operation of the school. Once again in 2013 it did not look possible until we presented to Pastor Jeremiah the idea of using two of the dormitory rooms as well as two small houses on the campus for the classrooms. Previously these rooms have also been used by the Bible college. Three weeks before the school term was to begin the decision was made to proceed with starting up Mango Tree School with the first four primary classes and adding an additional class each year.
In 2011 we began the long process of securing government approval to open a school on the CCC campus.
It was a scramble to get everything in place to open a school so quickly. A principle, Ali Mashimango, was hired and went right to work organizing and preparing for opening day. We knew 24 of our orphans would attend the school and expected a total of 80-100 children in the four classes. Pastor Jeremiah decided to allow children in the surrounding community to register as well, and when Mango Tree School opened on September 2, 2013, they had a total of 208 students! One class had 43 students, and the other three classes have 55 students each (Link).
When Mango Tree School opened in 2013
they had a total of 208 students!
To make this new school a reality, sacrifices were made by all. The school meets from 7:00am to 1:00pm, 6 days a week. The Bible College used the same rooms in the afternoon and evening. The orphans will remained in overly crowded conditions until we were able to build a Mango Tree School classroom building. When this building was completed and opened Fall 2014, our orphans were able to use the complete dormitory which alleviated the current crowding. While it seems this has all happened very quickly, it has been in the planning stages for three years. We thank God that all of the teachers are committed Christians, desiring to provide a quality education for the children. Along with their academic subjects, the students receive Bible lessons each day, English classes and weekly Chapel services will be added soon. Please join us in prayer for this new school and the lives of all the precious current students and the thousands in the future who will be impacted by this step of faith.
Please join us in prayer for this new school and the lives of all the precious current students and the thousands in the future who will be impacted by this step of faith.
Pastor Jeremiah expressed these thoughts in a report to Global Outreach,
"We want to thank God for enabling us to start Mango Tree School with four classes. Despite all the challenges that we are going through, but God is always on our side. CCC and the community at large are really blessed by the start of this school. So, all the support given to this ministry is changing the lives of many people in the Congo."
The success of Mango Tree School depends on partners of CCC like you. Please pray about donating to finance the the continued operations of Mango Tree School.
Your love and support makes possible a brighter future for these children.
You Can Help Today
You can personally help change the educational opportunity for hundreds of children & help shape future generations in the CCC community.
Please take a moment to share Mango Tree School online and consider a financial donation.
Any way you choose to contribute makes a difference!