Special Easter Offering - Healing Arts Program

Each Easter, Upper Room donates its offering to support the work of one of our global missional partnerships. This year's gift will be used to support the work of our HEAL Africa staff in the Congo, specifically the Healing Arts Program. The Healing Arts Program was begun to support women who need to undergo surgery, due to the effects of prolonged childbirth or sexual violence. In addition to covering the costs of surgery, the Healing Arts Program seeks to support the women emotionally and spiritually by empowering them to re-enter their villages and support themselves. The women receive counseling, literacy training, sewing instructions and are taught basic business skills that will help them as they become local entrepreneurs.

The monies collected this year will go specifically toward three goals:

1. to build a new training and education center
2. the development of new curriculum and training programs
3. the raising up and training of Congolese leaders to execute these programs
4. a scholarship program which will provide women with supplies as they leave the program (a sewing machine, gardening tools and livestock that will help the women to get started in business).
   Here are several profiles of women that would be helped in the program:
• Dusabe Ireni Bimenyimana
• Esthere Kinzanye
• Sara Kamuranda

If you would like to give to this cause, please put "Congo" in the memo line of your check or place your cash in an envelope with your name in it. All loose cash placed in offering bags on Easter will go to the Congo as well.

Congo Updates

Below is a list of updates written by our team in the Congo about all the exciting things going on with our partnership.

• Action Update December 2008
• Action Update November 2008
• Action Update October 2008
• Update September 2008
• Update April 2008

Watch the Summer 2008 Congo Experience video.

If you would like to receive regular updates from the Congo, please send an email to the Congo Team.

Congo Staff

Upper Room is represented by Chelsie Frank in Goma, Congo. They blog regularly with updates about life and their work with HEAL Africa. Visit their blogs listed below:

• Chelsie Frank
• Cristina Edelstein
• Harper McConnell

Congo/Goma Videos

Here are some videos from our previous trips to Goma.