Figure 1. Elementary school completed in 2023.

Figure 2. Internally displaced Congolese, fleeing rebel violence.

In the spring of 2010, I had the privilege of traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a urology resident along with my chairman, Dr Joseph Smith, and coresident, Dr Greg Broughton. Dr Smith has had a long history of medical mission work in various places across Africa. We were headed to work with Dr Denis Mukwege at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC. Bukavu sits across the Rusizi river from the southwestern edge of Rwanda. Panzi Hospital was founded in 1999 by Dr Mukwege and is focused primarily on the treatment of women who have suffered from sexual violence, many of whom require reconstructive surgery. Our week there was spent assisting in evaluation of patients and assisting in some of their more complex reconstructive operations.

While there I befriended a young, very bright high school student, Murhula, who would hang outside the operating rooms waiting for a chance to practice his English. I remained in contact with Murhula after that initial trip, a connection that would prove fruitful in the future. I was fortunate to be able to return to Panzi Hospital in 2011. Life then moved on after residency with fellowship and then work in San Antonio. In December of 2018, I started working, along with friends from church, with a small Congolese congregation in San Antonio. Our work initially was focused on helping receive and support Congolese refugees who were being settled in San Antonio. Most were large families of 8 to 10 who were placed in apartments with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. So, our initial work was focused on finding them clothes, furnishings, food, and ultimately, jobs. Most of the members of the Congolese congregation in San Antonio were refugees from Bukavu and surrounding areas, though had more recently lived in refugee camps in neighboring countries. Through this work, I met regularly with the pastor, John Nkunzingoma, of this Congolese congregation and learned of additional needs here in San Antonio and back in the DRC. In 2019, this ultimately led us to a point where we planted a church in Kamanyola, South Kivu, which is ∼30 miles south of Bukavu. In less than a year we had built another church in a neighboring village, Kayange. Soon thereafter we were asked if we could start a school in the church building as there was no school in Kayange. We learned a lot in the process. What has stood out the most to me is how many families live on so little. The average student at our school has 3 to 5 siblings at home with a monthly household income of $10 to $20. We quickly learned that we needed to provide food at school if the children were going to regularly attend and learn; thus, we initiated a food program serving 1 meal per day. The school has evolved as attendance has grown. We completed construction of a full elementary school building this summer and we will have 6 grade levels in attendance come this September. Figure 1 shows the recently completed school during a recent visit by government officials from Bukavu.

COVID brought challenges to eastern DRC just as it did all over the world. A large percentage of food in this area of South Kivu is imported across the border from Rwanda; unfortunately, the border was shut down for much of the pandemic, causing severe food shortages. According to the World Food Programme’s analysis in 2014, South Kivu has the highest percentage (64%) of food insecure households in DRC.¹ In response, we purchased plots of land to allow local congregants to grow additional food. There are many opportunities in this space, and we are looking for ways to invest to help improve agricultural yield and sustainability in this area.

Conflict remains a regular theme in eastern DRC, though it rarely makes the headlines in the United States. I have heard too many heartbreaking stories related from those who have fled their villages as their homes were burned and neighbors murdered. Figure 2 shows internally displaced Congolese who fled the rebels after their village was razed. We have developed several ministry efforts to serve those fleeing violence, including a traveling clinic that we can mobilize to serve those who have been displaced.

These words feel as though a feeble attempt to capture 4 years of remote work in the eastern DRC. I have seen amazing things transpire simply out of a spirit of saying “yes,” even when you don’t know how. My heart for the people of the DRC has grown out of that first trip to Panzi Hospital with Dr Smith. My friendship with Murhula, that young high school student who hung around outside the operating rooms, continues to this day. In fact, Murhula has become a successful social entrepreneur in his own right and has been instrumental in helping us achieve some of our successes there in Kamanyola.

As physicians in the United States, we are blessed with tremendous resources and the ability to make significant impacts in the lives of people locally and around the world. I want to encourage every reader to explore these type opportunities. Five years ago, I would have never believed that I would be overseeing the construction of a school in Africa via WhatsApp. What compelling project might you find yourself doing over the next few years for your fellow man? I can attest that you don’t need a fancy organization, simply identify a need and step in to meet it.