Women’s Training Centre in Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of Congo

Present in Kinshasa for just over a decade, the Sisters of Charity live in a neighbourhood inhabited by numerous religious congregations and churches. In 2019, with the help of the Thouret Foundation, they expanded the building to provide more rooms and space to accommodate young girls from distant villages who were looking for accommodation so they could continue their studies in the capital. The community has thus opened its doors to many young women who have found and continue to find in the Sisters of Charity a family and an environment in which to take refuge and protect themselves from the dangers of the capital city. Since Sister Blanches completed her studies, activities for young women have expanded and a training course in cutting and sewing has been launched, offering other girls and women the opportunity to learn a trade and opens up for them an independent and dignified future. At the moment, the young women occupy a single room, in which they have set up a few sewing machines. Presently there are 10 enrolled in the course. The number could certainly increase if there was more space. But even this small number has already achieved good results. Sr Blanche says: “The girls are starting to make clothes. They cut directly without patterns. They are happy. As their trainer, I rejoice with them. May God grant us the grace to better help the weak so that they may become rich in goodness.” Last year, the young women were already involved in making uniforms for the pupils of a school: a simple beginning that we hope will develop further and strengthen future collaborations. Our best wishes go to Sr Blanche and the young women.