Congo Volcano Update:

We are so grateful for the immense support that has come in for Congo after sharing the volcano eruption news.

Hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated and 20,000+ are estimated to be homeless. More than half a million people have lost access to safe water as the lava has destroyed one of the most important water supply sources. Since so many people are trying to evacuate, there is severe traffic which is furthering the shortage of food and water.

Due to your support and thanks to the Justice Rising team, hazard pay has been distributed to over 100 teachers and staff members. This has been immensely helpful for them to support their families and leave the area if they choose. Transportation has not only become difficult due to traffic but also extremely expensive so many families are unable to leave.

The Justice Rising team was able to open one of their other school locations to host 1,500 people who have nowhere to go. Your support contributed to providing clean water, sanitization facilities, and extra toilets. Food will be provided soon as well. Thank you for partnering with us.

We are monitoring this heartbreaking situation daily and will continue to provide support for emergency services as well as build a fund to potentially rebuild our school once we are able. If you’d like to support, click the link below.

Urgent: Volcano Erupts Outside of Goma

On Saturday, May 22nd, Nyiragongo, an active volcano that sits at the edge of Goma, erupted as lava spewed near the city of roughly 2 million people. Thankfully, the lava mostly flowed away from the city, but local officials are still assessing the damage.

You can read more about the eruption here. 

Though there were positive early reports that the lava would not reach the densely populated city center of Goma, new fissures opened up in the volcano, causing lava to flow quickly near the border of Rwanda and also north toward Virunga National Park.

The eruption was followed by a night of terror and chaos. The government ordered an immediate evacuation, and people by the thousands grabbed whatever they could and immediately fled across the border. It wasn’t until the morning that some of our teachers and staff returned to the schools to check for damage.

Right now, we can confirm that our nursery and primary school, built in partnership with Justice Rising, has been completely destroyed by the lava flow. We are still in shock and looking for words to express our grief. Combined, the schools served 250 students and 8 faculty members. The parents were extremely involved in the two schools, and the parent teacher meetings could often be characterized by a packed house and lively discussion.

If you would like to respond during this challenging time, we would love for you to donate to help  support our teachers and staff, and their families, who lost their school and community to the disaster. Some also lost their homes. Our team will continue to assess the damage and your donation will go toward supporting the most pressing needs. We hope to rebuild in the future so any contribution is appreciated!

We’ll be sure to send more updates as we continue to learn more information. For more frequent updates, please check out our social media feeds.