Support for our Foster Moms
Bolingo Village has had our eye on ensuring each kiddo has access to the spiritual and emotional care that they need and deserve since we opened. To that end, we have a pastoral team and a trauma counselor.
What’s on the menu in Congo?
I’ll be honest - cooking in DRC can be a little tricky. Certainly much different than the cooking experience we have here in the U.S. It’s HOT in Congo, many don’t have access to electricity and appliances, and the culture surrounding cooking is simply different. Let’s explore what traditional cooking and cuisine are like in DRC!
Expectations vs Reality: Shopping in DRC
What do you do if you need more laundry detergent? You pick up and go to the store, right? Unfortunately for us, it's not always that simple in Congo. Shopping seems like a mundane thing that would be relatively similar no matter where you are in the world but shopping in Congo can turn into a strenuous and frustrating process relatively quickly. Here are the realities of shopping in Congo:
Meeting an African Chief
Do you ever have a made-up image in your head of what someone is going to look like?
On my most recent trip to DRC, the Chief of the area surrounding Bolingo Village called and asked to meet with me while I was in town. I had never met him before or any other village chief, for that matter. Honestly, I was a little nervous because it's such an honor to meet with the Chief!
The Bolingo Kids: A few of their favorite things!
There’s nothing better than seeing the Bolingo kids do some of their favorite things. Since we can’t all be in Congo, we’ve brought Bolingo to you!
Update: Temporary Placements at Bolingo
Bolingo Village wasn’t intended to accept temporary placements. Still, last year, we made an exception for three siblings for three main reasons.
A Foster Mom’s Love.
I will never forget the moment I realized how fiercely our Bolingo Village foster moms love their kiddos...
There Are Many Broken Children…
Once our kiddos come to us, they have it pretty good - that’s the point of Bolingo. It’s easy to forget that every single child in Bolingo has a story. They all have trauma and a heartbreaking life experience.
The Vision for Bolingo Village Pt 2
Bolingo Village was never meant to just meet the basic needs of the children who call it home. It was never meant to just meet the standard of survival. Our vision has always been to surpass the basics by providing them with a true childhood experience filled with guidance, care, and love.
Building a Village: Phase 2
From the beginning, when it was just an idea to the current reality of giving children a better life every day. We are making significant progress and taking steps to ensure that Bolingo can serve many generations of children to come.
5 Reasons You Should Care About DR Congo
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the Democratic Republic of Congo? For some, it might be extreme poverty or disease. For others, it may be the violence-stricken turmoil in the east. While these are all, unfortunately, accurate depictions of DRC, we feel that it’s time that people learn a little bit more about the country we love so dearly.
Our Fear of COVID-19 is What Congolese Live With Every Day
Our nurse, Marlene, summed up the difference between the U.S. and DRC’s response to COVID-19 by saying, “The Congolese government took it seriously knowing what we experienced with Ebola… the American government has never lived like this.”
GOF in the Field: Trip Update
As always, the best part of the trip was seeing the kids play, laugh, and thrive. We currently have 19 children living between 3 homes, and we are happy to report that they are all A-OK!
Temporary Placements at Bolingo?
This forever home never planned on accepting temporary placements. We intended to only open our doors to children who would be a part of Bolingo Village forever. However, last week, we were contacted by social services and asked to accept a temporary placement of three siblings.
Palm Weevil Larvae: The Other Other White Meat
The world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by the year 2050. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, and we’re not doing a great job with the mouths we already have – 10% of the world’s population suffered from chronic undernourishment in 2016.
Congo Trip Update
After a 10-day trip in DR Congo we’re back and happy to report that everything is peachy keen, and we’re excited about our next steps in Bolingo Village. We hope that you were able to follow along on social media, but if not, here are 5 things you may have missed…
Bolingo Village Grand Opening!
We opened Bolingo Village in March and we're so excited to share some pictures with you!
The entire GOF team recently spent a little over two weeks in DRC preparing for and celebrating the Bolingo Village opening. It was so exciting to see years of planning and hard work coming together.
Foster Care vs. Orphanage Care in DRC: The importance of family
Our foster moms will be the rule makers and enforcers, the boo-boo kissers, the co-pilots on imagination fueled trips on space ships, and - most importantly - each child’s advocate.
Bolingo Village offers children a future
GOF is answering the need for an alternative to DRCongo Orphanages.