When the Kimbilio Day Centre welcomes children off the streets, there are numerous cases of their needing varying degrees of medical care. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Kimbilio team meets those needs as best they can, under the supervision of the Anglican Cathedral's Dean Clément Beya. There is basic first aid offered, and a qualified volunteer nurse is on call for trickier cases. In the event of more serious wounds or other challenging medical needs, children are brought to Kimbilio's affiliates at the Butterfly Hospital and Clinic. In 2024, Kimbilio will have intervened on medical situations for over 900 children at the Day Centre. Photos are of a few of the medical interventions from one day earlier this week.
The Butterfly Hospital and Clinic is operated by the Garenganze Church. The name Garenganze is after the Garenganze Kingdoom (also known as the Yeke Kingdom), a short-lived kingdom from the mid-1800s that predated the Belgian Congo. The Garenganze are one of the biggest providers of health care and education in the Lubumbashi area, alongside the Catholic and Methodist churches. The name Butterfly is symbolic of someone being healed and flying away with renewed strength from the Garenganze facilities.
The health challenges for street children, certainly in Congo but also around the world, are immense. Many of the challenges stem from risky sexual behavior, substance abuse, violence, and general neglect/lack of care. The list of maladies is long: growth and nutritional disorders, physical injuries, mental health issues and communicable diseases including diarrheal diseases, malaria, respiratory diseases, HIV/AIDS, and more.
#DRCongo #Lubumbashi #HautKatanga #Katanga #GarenganzeHospital #streetchildren #healthcare #poverty #EgliseGarenganze
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