LUMUMBA VILLAGE
After handing over the keys to the first village, we immediately started fundraising to build a village for the rest of the orphaned children. A year later we returned to hand over the keys to selected families which were made up of the orphaned children and their extended families. The uniqueness of this village is that each house has a freehand painting of a Pan-African hero painted by local Congolese artists. This village is continuing to grow and now supports over 100 adults and children.
Before
Aimee was living in a two room tent with her Aunty. These are all their belongings behind them.
After
This is Aimee and her aunty outside of the Erykah Badu house, their new home two bedroom house.
THE HOUSES
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Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba was a Congolese politician and served as the first prime minister of the DRC. He was ideologically an African nationalist, pan-Africanist and a Congolese hero. This is why we named the village after him.
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Bismack Biyombo
Bismack is a Congolese professional basketball player for the NBA. He is a Goma native and founded The Bismack Biyombo Foundation in the DRC to build schools and sports facilities which exists to activate the potential of human lives through athletics, education and health.
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Rebecca (Mama) Masika
Mama Masika was an activist and a survivor of sexual assault from DR Congo. She founded the ‘Association des Personnes Desherites Unies’ for the Development and defended the rights of survivors including children in the South Kivu region of the DRC.
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Kyrie Irving
Kyrie is an American professional basketball player who has contributed a lot of resources to help our organisation.
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Denis Mukwege
Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist. He founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he speciallises in the treatment of women who have been raped by armed rebels.
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Lenny Kravitz
Lenny is a professional singer-songwriter who is one of our biggest supporters.
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Cheikh Anta Diop
Cheikh Anta Diop was a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician who studied the human race’s origins and pre-colonial Africa culture.
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Mia Mottley
Mia Mottley has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018. She is the first female to hold this position. She was also involved in the Year of Return and re-burial of remains of ancestors.
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Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was a true Pan-African and aimed to achieve Black nationalism through the celebration of African history and culture.
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Bob Marley
Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, ska and rocksteady. He used his music to spread love and held many peace concerts with the aim bridging the divide between Jamaica’s political group.
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Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. She is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. She is credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rapping.
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Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is an American former professional boxer who is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Mike also traced his ancestory and found he has Congolese origin.
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Erykah Badu
Erykah is a singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She has been hailed as one of the most gifted rhythm and blues singers of the current era and has earned her title as the Queen of neo-soul.
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Malcolm X
Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. He was an advocate for Black empowerment.
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Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara was a Burkinabe military officer, Marxist-Leninist revolutionary, and Pan-Africanist who served as President of Burkino Faso.
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Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician who was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana. He led Ghana’s drive for independence from Britain and did so peacefully. Ghana was the first country to gain independence from colonisation which inspired other African nations to do the same.
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Miriam Makeba (Mama Africa)
Miriam Makeba was a South African singer, songwriter, actress and civil rights activist. She used her music to advocate against apartheid and white-minority governement in South Africa.
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Rihanna
Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, actress and businesswoman. She was born and raised in Barbados and was has been appointed a National Hero.
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Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, popular poet and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry and is credited with a list of plays, movies and television shows spanning over 50 years.