The Need
Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a city of nearly 15 million people, estimated to reach nearly 35 million by 2050. Each one of these people has a backstory of how they ended up where they are. One common story is that of “street kids.” These children are but a small sector of those impacted by the five nightmares of most major African cities:
- A large influx of unskilled workers
- Poorly run but expensive educational options
- An import mentality that caters to the comparatively rich
- A relatively non-existent middle class and blue-collar jobs
- A self-serving government. Across the city, children are “thrown away” or aborted for fear of a predictable future
Our Response
The Tabitha Centers gives young women in DRC a way out of selling themselves or engaging in illegal activities for their livelihood. Teen-aged girls gather under the direction of women from their local church to discuss life's realities and to understand the Bible's answers to questions about life that are often left unanswered by parents. In this safe context, girls are taught skills like sewing, cooking, hair dressing, cosmetics and others that offer them an alternative to the assumption that they must sell themselves or rush into a relationship with a man in order to find financial security. The vision is to see the Tabitha ministry continue to expand to provide healthy alternatives for young women throughout the city of Kinshasa.
The Plan
The vision of the ministry is to develop and equip Tabitha Centers throughout Kinshasa. The first Tabitha Center was launched in 2013, as an experiment to see what it would take to open more. Almost 300 centers have been installed in various parts of Kinshasa, largely associated with and launched out of local churches. While churches and individuals from the U.S. commit to launching new centers, each center is expected to contribute financially to the overall ministry, in order to assure sustainability.
