The Story...

The small East African community of Minembwe could easily escape the world’s notice and has for so many years. Who are they, this unseen, overlooked people? The reality is, for those of us who love and follow Jesus (or who simply believe that every individual is valuable), they are all our brothers and sisters. For some of us, they literally ARE our brothers and sisters. 

 

This tiny community, located on the high tropical plains of the South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is only 300km or so from the Rwandan and Burundian borders, but is almost impossible to access by road. Instead, those looking to reach Minembwe must travel by small plane.


Map of Minembwe, South Kivu, DRC

Minembwe is the home of the Banyamulenge people. These people have long been persecuted and targeted for genocide simply because those around them crafted a narrative for their own gain that named the Banyamulenge people as “outsiders” who did not belong in the DRC and should be removed by any means necessary, even (and especially) genocide. Even today, the people of Minembwe live in constant fear for their lives and do not have access to adequate food, water, or any protection of law. 

 

There is no UN help coming to these people. Since they are still in the DRC, they cannot be given refugee status or the protection of international law. They have been all but abandoned. They live daily knowing that at any moment, those who want them dead will act on that desire, and violently. The community is surrounded by armed militias and government forces who hate them. There is no punishment when a Banyamulenge is struck down. No earthly justice. Rather, the act is celebrated by those who see them as unworthy of life and of a homeland.

tHE nEED

Because of the difficulty in reaching Minembwe, there are very few organizations who are working to provide any aid in South Kivu or that have any impact on Minembwe at all. However, that does not change the need on the ground. The Banyamulenge are an agriculturally-minded people, farmers and cattlemen by trade, but without access to the means of production. They have no seed to plant; no cattle to raise. The genocide has also left many widows and orphans, many of whom are unable to provide for themselves without the kindness and care of the other members of the tribe. Many orphaned children are unable to afford to go to school, and there are simply not enough resources within Minembwe to support them all. 


When it's too dangerous to leave and yet also dangerous to stay, what is a peaceful people group to do?

Our strategy

  • We will purchase seed and other basic items so that these skilled people can have a sustainable food source and the security of growing their own food. 
  • We will sponsor orphans by paying their school fees so that they can have access to education. 
  • We will advocate on behalf of the Banyamulenge community in order to bring global attention to their plight in a way that creates positive change. 
  • We will work to find ways to make inroads into this besieged village so that there can be a sustainable path for supplies to move in and out. 
  • We will come alongside existing NGOs to work together to help the Banyamulenge people.

pastor Evariste Busanga, Director

A humble man with a servant's heart for his people, there is so much more to Evariste than meets the eye. A member of the continuously persecuted Banyamulenge Tutsi tribe of Minembwe, DRC, Evariste came to Fargo as a refugee in 2008 along with his wife and children. Since then, he has become the primary one-man "welcome committee" as he's met and welcomed many more refugees from his homeland and helped them learn how to acclimate to their new home. Evariste founded Mission of Hope: East Africa in 2023, and it is his constant prayer that God would use him to provide for the needs of his people. 


A bi-vocational pastor, he faithfully leads his congregation of fellow Banyamulenge refugees in worship and life as they strive to follow Jesus and help their friends and family back home in Africa. To hear Evariste's story of survival is to have your heart shattered by the cruelty of evil in this fallen world, and then to see and feel the truth of "sorrowful yet always rejoicing" as God's kindness and provision are made known. A man after God's own heart, to know Evariste is to be welcomed into his family.

Ways to gIVE

If God is calling you to partner with us financially, there are a variety of ways you can do that:


Gifts to Mission of Hope: East Africa can be made via Credit/Debit Card here.

Gifts to Mission of Hope: East Africa can be made via ACH here.


Gifts to Evariste Busanga's ministry can be made via Credit/Debit Card here.

Gifts to Evariste Busanga's ministry can be made via ACH here.


All gifts are made via Ministry Developers Network and are tax-deductible.

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