It is with immense sadness that I write this article to inform Children in Crisis’ supporters of the tragic events that unfolded in DR Congo in October 2011.

Walking to work as usual, on the morning of 5th October, I received a call from Reverend Muvunyi Samson, Head of Children in Crisis’ long standing and much valued partner in DR Congo, Eben Ezer Ministry International (EMI). A call from Samson was not unusual, we communicate regularly, and EMI had just completed a strategic planning workshop that I was sure Samson was phoning to tell me about. I knew instantly on hearing Samson’s voice that something was terribly wrong. The line was bad and there was much confusion in the background. Samson had to repeat his words several times, ‘our vehicle has been burnt, members of our team have been killed, I’m going now to identify the bodies.’ He would call again once he reached the scene of the incident, many hours’ drive away.

At that stage, I had no idea who had been killed or under what circumstances. What I knew was that our Education teams had left Uvira the previous day to undertake month long activities in schools across the Plateau where Children in Crisis and EMI have been tirelessly working for the past 5 years.

As the morning hours passed, nothing could have prepared us for the second telephone call from Samson, who confirmed the worst. Our project vehicle had been attacked by the rebel group, Mai Mai Yakatumba, as it travelled on route to the Plateau. Of the fourteen people on board, seven people had been killed, two had been injured and four had been released. One person had mercifully escaped. It was a tribally motivated attack against the Banyamulenge, since those that were released, including two other team members, were from a different tribe.

Among those killed were our much loved and trusted colleagues, Eraste Rwatangabo (Education Manager, aged 46), Kandoti Tite (Deputy Education Manager, aged 49), Gifota Edmond (Teacher Trainer, aged 53) and Musore Ruturutsa (Driver, aged 36).

Eraste Rwatangabo	Kandoti Tite
Gifota Edmond (wearing yellow)	Musore Ruturutsa

It is in tribute to these great men, to their widows and children, and to our courageous partners EMI, that I now write.

At the Memorial Ceremony I attended in DRC, along with Children in Crisis’ CEO, Koy Thomson and Programme Manager, Amy Parker, over 2,000 people were present. People had come from far and wide, journeying down from the Plateau, from Bukavu (to the North), from the capital Kinshasa, Rwanda, Burundi, the United States and the UK.

There was representation from across all tribal and political divides, and the speeches made in honour of our brave, inspirational colleagues were powerful and highly moving. All had the same message: that we must stand united at this time, regardless of our tribal, ethnic or religious persuasion; that we must work ever harder in our pursuit to bring peace and development to the region; and that the perpetrators of these heinous acts must be brought to justice. 

Standing shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, with the widows and children of Eraste, Tite, Gifota and Musore to pay our respects and share our grief and horror at the events that have taken place, is something I will never forget. Their words at the Ceremony were the most powerful of all. Eraste’s wife, Anastasi, speaking on behalf of the other widows, with such composure, such bravery, urged Children in Crisis and Eben Ezer Ministry to take courage at this time.

‘The work that my husband has started must not stop. We want his work to continue. Education must reach every child across the Plateau. That was his vision.’

The eldest daughter of Kandoti Tite, speaking on behalf of the children, was equally inspiring.

‘Even if our parents have been killed, they will always be our heroes. They did not die because they were building houses for themselves; they died because they were re-building the nation.’

This is indeed what they were doing, and what Children in Crisis and Eben Ezer Ministry will continue to do. Time spent with the team that remain, in the days after the Memorial Ceremony, confirmed their resolve to continue.

As unimaginably painful as the events of the last October have been, Children in Crisis and Eben Ezer Ministry remain steadfast in our commitment to improve the educational opportunities for every child across the Plateau. We’ve sought advice and guidance from the humanitarian community and received overwhelming support from others working in the region.

To this end, our school building programme resumed in November 2011, and our teacher training resumed across the Plateau in late December 2011. We will pursue all avenues to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice, and have launched an appeal to raise much needed funds to support the families of our murdered colleagues, now and in the future.

To all our supporters and friends, that have followed our work in DRC so closely, please continue to do so. As Reverend Samson told me, in African culture, when you are alone with your grief, it is unbearable. When people visit, your grief is shared, your loss lessened, your burden lightened.

In honour of our colleagues, Eraste Rwatangabo, Kandoti Tite, Gifota Edmond and Musore Ruturutsa, their legacies will live on. Thankyou

To support our DRC Families Fund click the button below. The fund will be disbursed at the Children in Crisis Trustees' discretion, to support these families and other victims of violence occurring in the plateau region of South Kivu:

		Tim Adams' moving Guardian piece on the DRC murders. Read more>				A translation of the speech given by the children of our murdered colleagues at the memorial service. Read more>
		Eben Ezer Ministry International have provided us with a statement on the massacre of their colleagues Read more>				How Children in Crisis reported the killings. Read more>