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DR Congo: Changing lives through training

Changing lives through training

Sango is an orphan in the Congo, Africa, whose life could have turned out very differently. Without parents to support him, Sango missed out on school entirely. He never learnt to read or write, or do more than the basic maths he picked up on the streets of his town.

A local NGO gave Sango the opportunity to enroll in their programs, and even having missed out on a primary and secondary education, he trained in carpentry and soon became a qualified carpenter. The NGO gave him the carpentry equipment he needed to start a small business, and today Sango is married, and earning an income to support his family.The NGO’s most successful programs is a training centre for widows, young adult orphans and other vulnerable people, where they teach job skills and equip trainees with the things they need to start earning a living.
To support their work against poverty, Crossroads is shipping a container of things like furniture, household and electrical goods, clothing to distribute to the poorest in the community, school and sports supplies for their work with children and youth, and much more. Helping change lives through training!

Mrs Makiwa, was poor and vulnerable, but for a different reason. Mrs Makiwa’s husband died, leaving her without the means to earn more than a tiny subsistence income, and terrified for her children’s future.Mrs Makiwa trained in the NGO’s programs and was given a sewing machine to begin a tailoring business. Now, instead of living a hand-to-mouth existence as a poor widow, Mrs Makiwa is able to earn enough to take care of her children’s education and health needs, living together as a family.

This shipment will include furniture, to continue to train widows like Mrs Makiwa a chance to earn for her family and overcome poverty in DR Congo.

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DR Congo Snapshot

Population: 77.43 million
Capital: Kinshasa

DR Congo is located in central sub-Saharan Africa, straddling the equator. It experiences the highest frequency of thunderstorms in the world with a tropical climate.

Although, one of the most resource rich nations in the world, 74% of people in DR Congo live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day, one of the highest rates in the world.

‘Honourable’ Work

Life had not done the ‘Honorable’ thing by the young African boy of that very unusual name. Young Honourable was born into a very poor Nigerian family and despite a bright, active mind, he couldn’t afford to go on to college or university.

Crossroads’ West African representative, Bona, saw potential in Honorable. “He’s one of those kids kid that breaks your heart when they can’t get more education,” he said.

Bona, though, was in a position to do something about it. Some years before, he had set up a training centre with computers from Crossroads. Bona enrolled Honourable in the centre and, when Honorable graduated, helped him establish his own ‘Business Centre’, with another Crossroads computer.

The business centre started small, as a place where customers could get basic photocopying and word processing services, but thanks to Honorable’s computer training and a good head for business, it soon began to turn a profit. With it, he invested in 5 more computers and, in turn, set up a computer training centre of his own.

Today, his new centre has trained more than 1,000 young underprivileged youth, many from his own home village. From one donated computer, a tree of opportunity grows, bears fruit and continues to flourish! An ‘Honourable’ outcome indeed!

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Amina (below) was only 13 years old when she was raped and fell pregnant to her attacker. Her family rejected her and she had no way to support her child. Even finding clothes for the baby was beyond her.

Thankfully, an NGO met Amina and took her into their programmes. They found her a home, and gave her clothes for her and her baby, but they knew her most important need was for a way to fund her future.

“She could hardly read or write,” they said, “but now she is registered with our training centre and is learning how to sew.” With these skills, Amina has the chance to make a real life for herself and her child.

When the NGO that helped Amina requested a shipment from Crossroads, they told us that building a computer centre to serve the area’s children and vulnerable women like Amina was high on their list of priorities.

“Without some kind of training or job skills, many single mothers can’t support their families at all,” they said.”We also help keep orphans in school by sponsoring their education, helping them with uniforms, school supplies and so on.”

When Crossroads’ shipment arrived, even torrential tropical rains couldn’t hold back their eagerness to start using the goods immediately! “The heavy rains have disturbed our distribution, but we have started some programmes already,” they wrote.

“With the computers, we are running women and kids for our school,” they told us. “Many of the kids have never seen a computer before and they are so excited to work on them!”

Stationery, toys and school bags were also received with excitement (above), to distribute to children affected by HIV/Aids who frequently drop out of school because they can’t afford fees, supplies and uniforms!

We’re grateful to shipping company Maersk, who generously sponsored this shipment.

Want to sponsor an international shipment?

We have several international shipments ready to set sail and waiting for sponsors! Your company, club, organisation or family can make a shipment happen.

Email us at partnerships@crossroads.org.hk for a list of partnership opportunities.

Give Now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

Cameroon Snapshot

Population: 22.25 million

Capital: Yaoundé

Cameroon is in the west Central Africa region, with natural features including beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas.

Although the country as a whole has improved standards of literacy and healthcare, there is still a long way to go. Less than half of children go on to secondary education, and over 40% are involved in some kind of child labour. In rural areas, less than half the population has access to clean water and sanitation.

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A Second Chance for Hong Kong Drug Addicts

Lewis (below) felt his life spiral out of control when Hong Kong’s SARS crisis hit in 2003. Like thousands of others around the city, Lewis lost his job and in a shaky market, had no idea how he’d find another one.

Hongkong_Lewis He had been working for a golf course at the time, with the hospitality industry hard-hit by the economic woes brought on by SARS.

Lewis took solace in drugs. At first it was marijuana, and then harder drugs. Soon, he was addicted to ketamine and relying on it to lift his spirits just enough to cope with life.

The next decade saw a roller coaster of addiction, recovery and relapse for Lewis. Even when he managed to find another job in the real estate industry, he remained hooked. “My family didn’t know what to do,” he said, “but they were always supportive.”

It was the thought of hurting his family and friends so deeply that finally flicked the switch for Lewis. In mid-2013, he knew it was time to get help.

Rehab_centre_SARDA_Hongkong

Rehab centre SARDA, located on its own small outlying island of Hong Kong

Thankfully for Lewis and hundreds of addicts like him, there are groups in Hong Kong waiting to support those who want to get clean. One of these, a rehab complex in the New Territories, was where Lewis found his new home. For several months he has lived there, finding support, mentorship and recovery. It’s a long road, but Lewis is confident that his drug days are over.

Crossroads supports several drug rehab centres in Hong Kong, helping them build their capacity so that they can welcome more clients, and give them better care.

In recent months we gave one of our largest ever donations of goods to SARDA, an agency with branches across Hong Kong, who desperately needed to upgrade their facilities. “We need almost everything!” they told us before the donation.

SADRA_drugcenter_office Furniture from Crossroads now equips their community homes for recovering addicts, computers and desks have set up a new training scheme (left) to teach IT skills to their clients, and much more.

“It can be hard to find funding for drug addicts,” said one of the centre staff. “People think they’ve brought it on themselves and don’t deserve help. But we believe everyone deserves a second chance.”

“Mr K” would agree. A former drug addict himself, he now works for SARDA, managing one of the group homes for recovering addicts.

Crossroads loves being a part of the solution to their dilemma, using the abundant resources donated to us weekly to give that second chance to people desperate to turn their lives around.

Can we help your charity?

If your Hong Kong charity has a need for goods, Crossroads is here to help! Click here to apply.

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