congo mission network

Ambitious school growth, new funding models the focus for Congo conference speakers

The Rev. Zacharie Mboyamba Kabala of Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will be keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Congo Mission Network March 14-16 at the Charleston Atlantic Presbytery Conference Center in Charleston, South Carolina. He and a roster of other speakers, both in person and via video, will address the challenges raised in the conference theme, “Education for Transformation: Equipping Congolese Youth for the Future.”

Calling out corruption to root out poverty

Members of the Congo Mission Network (CMN), through relationships with Congolese partners, have witnessed the harm caused by corruption in the mining industry and were among those outraged by the reversal of U.S. sanctions on Dan Gertler, an international businessman with ties to former senior Congolese officials. Gertler has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars through opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Through another lens

The Congo Mission Network’s 2020 annual conference was held virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the world’s reaction to the killing by police of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, the conference focused on the legacy of white supremacy and racism, using the Confession of Belhar as its guide.

Congo Mission Network adapts to 2020’s changing landscape

Like nearly every organization in the world, the COVID pandemic forced the Congo Mission Network to adapt when it came time to hold their annual mission conference, but they didn’t just adapt, they grew and will likely never go back to the old way of doing things.