Today’s post is adapted from an emergency relief proposal by Dr. Kenzo, President of the Evangelical Community of the Alliance in Congo (CEAC).
Boma is a port city of over 500,000 inhabitants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It lies on the north bank of the Congo River, upstream from Muanda, where the water meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city was founded as a slaving station in the sixteenth century. Today it serves as the countries’s second largest international port.
Every year the city faces an intense tropical climate. Heavy rains fall during the eight-month rainy season (a monthly average of six inches of rain—more than Seattle) and a significant drought arrives during the four-month dry season (a monthly average of less than one inch of rain). As for altitude, Boma is located in the lowlands of the Congo River Delta. The average altitude is 32 feet, with peaks only 195 feet high. All of this leaves the city vulnerable to frequent flooding.
However, the last flood that hit this city was the most severe and devastating in the last 50 years. Official reports mention 591 families were affected. Among these 249 families completely lost their homes, and 342 families lost all their belongings. Second, there was also serious damage to the basic infrastructures: six medical clinics and six elementary schools were flooded, two of these schools collapsed as a result. On top of everything else, nine people lost their lives.
The CEAC, the Evangelical Community of the Alliance in Congo, responded in four ways with immediate relief:
- The church offered both spiritual and psychological assistance to those most affected.
- Chapels opened to offer temporary shelter for families.
- The Boma community mobilized to meet the most basic needs of food, bottled water, blankets, and kitchen supplies.
- The Boma District of the CEAC organized a love offering to assist those most in need.
After becoming aware of the flood and this initial response, CAMA has offered assistance as the community seeks to rebuild. The CEAC’s next stage for relief includes three goals:
- Help victims rebuild homes.
- Provide children impacted by the flood with a kit containing books, notebooks, and other basic school supplies.
- Offer a set of cooking pots to every family affected by the flood.
Please pray for Boma. The CAMA Disaster Relief Fund has allowed us to assist these churches, and our Alliance family, as they respond to their hurting community. Our funds have already replaced school supplies for 1773 children. Help us to continue to provide relief during these hard-hitting, yet nameless, disasters. Give today.
