Funded May 20, 2021

The 2nd existing tank located in the maternity ward needs to be renovated as well. 

This is a great opportunity to help a Christian hospital, Evangelical Medical Institute, in Kimpese, DR Congo, affecting thousands of lives in a year. This project is  through Heaven’s Family Leprosy Ministry. Kimpese hospital has a program for people with this disease, they also receive Christian ministry here. Kimpese Hospital is a long time trusted partner of the American Leprosy Mission, who HF works with in various countries including DR Congo. The hospital has strong links to local churches and they do receive help from other organizations to help cover operating and staffing expenses.

They are in serious need of access to sufficient clean water. The water project itself is not for a well, but for the need for above ground water storage because of the broken water system in the town it is located. The water supply is very unreliable and stops without any warning, it can last for hours to more than a day and then the hospital has no access to water. So, they must have a back-up system, but due to damage they are not able to use it currently. They do not have the funding to repair the tanks. The lack of water and disruption of water supply are frequently reported. Obviously, the lack of water results in poor health care for the patients and an unsafe work environment, too.

Besides renovation of the tanks, we’d also like to add 4 small tanks in certain critical wards of the hospital. This is a great project. 

UPDATE DECEMBER 8, 2021

We received an update and photos detailing the progress for the clean water renovation project at IME Kimpese Hospital in DR Congo.

You’ll appreciate the progress on the largest water tank – the interior and exterior have been refurbished and reconditioned and will be finished soon. The exterior was painted a cinnamon-red (similar to rust-oleum) and then received a white gloss similar, to what cars get at the body shop.

Once the largest tank is complete, they’ll move on to the 2nd smaller one and then to the mini-tanks & related tubing/pipes for the wards. The project is on track to be fully completed in January.

UPDATE mARCH 22, 2022

Construction of the bases and installation of the Tanks

This step has already started since … February 2022 and is expected to continue, but currently the planned funds are almost fully consumed. 4 bases have already been built, 2 tanks have already been laid and connected. The others are to be built.

The pictures below show the renovated 10,000 liter tank, which will be connected to the hospital, and two 2,000 liter tanks, from which people are drawing clean water.

The water in these tanks buffers the municipal water, which is clean and chlorinated, but runs only intermittently. Heaven’s Family’s Leprosy Mission, who added additional funding for a few more of the smaller tanks, will send in their own photojournalists for completion pictures, as soon as the embassy clears their visa.

COMPLETed APRIL 2, 2022

Here are the pictures from American Leprosy Mission’s (ALM) photojournalists, and some testimonials from the head doctor and hospital staff members.

10,000 liter storage tank, with label

2,000 liter storage tank, with label

 Dr Désiré Imposo, Chief of Medical Staff at the IME hospital says thank you!

Testimony of staff member Mimi Nkiambi Dorcas: I am the head of the assistant ward. Here, in surgery. The [water renovation project] helps us a lot. It helps the patients, before, there were problems. When the water supply from REGIDESO was cut off, the patients suffered. But [now] they have water for cooking, washing and to do other things. We are really grateful, and we say a big thank you. 

Interviewer: Hello sir! I meet you in front of the renovated water tank, what are your impressions?

Interviewee: My name is Jules Mantezolo, I am a welder and fitter at the IME hospital in Kimpese. We are the ones who renovated it. At the moment, we are carrying out the tests. Through this valve, we close the water the national water supply (REGIDESO) in order to flow the water contained in the 10k tank which supplies the whole hospital and the IME Kimpese agent’s camp.

Interviewer: What is the contribution of the renovation of this tank? 

Interviewee: We are very happy about it because it was not working but we thank the donors, it is now working and we also have these plastic tanks, installed next to the hospital wards.

Interviewer: Considering the old water system and this one, is there a change?

Interviewee: Yes, of course. We suffered for a long time but with the donors’ support, as I just said earlier, everything has been fixed. If there is an interruption from the REGIDESO side, we use the new circuit to give water especially to the sick. Also, we have two water circuits: the first one supplies the whole hospital while the second one with the plastic tanks supplies only the wards. 

A third tank is located inside the maternity ward, also renovated by donor generosity. In total, we have five water supply circuits; even if the REGIDESO does not work, there will be no outage; the patients will not even notice.

It is here that we take water for washing dishes, laundry and other needs. In the past, there were enormous difficulties in getting water, especially when there was an interruption of the water supply from REGIDESO [the local municipal water company.] The mothers struggled to get water, but today God has been gracious in obtaining these tanks. This means that they are at ease for their washing up, laundry and even for catering.   

The main difficulty is the one mentioned by my colleague. Now that we have a new water system, everything is fine because water is life.

I work in the maternity ward, and we are very happy to see this water tank installed here to help the sick. May God bless those who have brought us this support. We have two wards here, gynaecology and obstetrics. We treat two cases: deliveries and other diseases. We have two cisterns, one in front and one behind, because the pavilion is very big, in order to serve all the patients properly. Inside, the water flows and we are happy. Water is a vital commodity, and its absence paralyzes some of the work. This is why we are so happy, because even during the day, there is no more water shortage.

Here we are in front of the delivery room. We have a tap and a sink to clean the forceps used during the delivery.

We congratulate those who made this project possible. It is thanks to them that we no longer have interruptions in the water supply. Now every time we need water, we have it.

Thank you very much. 

The delighted children of Kimpese at their rehabilitated water pump say, “Thank you!”