HELP US
How nice that you are interested in our project! You can support us in various ways, both financially and practically. What can you do?
SHOP VIA TROOPER
HOW EXPENSIVE IS LIFE IN CONGO?
To give you an idea, some examples of our costs in Congo:
Salary employee in Congo: 100 euros per month
1 kilo of rice: 1 to 2 euros, not so much less than with us…
1 brick: 1 euro,… even more than with us..
1 implant (contraception for 3 to 5 years): normally 15 to 30 euros, free at Mama Lufuma, cost for us is about 9 euros.
Maintenance costs mother or child: 30 euros per month (excluding training costs)
Higher education school costs: 600 to 800 euros per year
School costs secondary school: 300 euros per year
School costs primary education: 100 euros per year
Investment in an “embroidery machine” for our sewing workshop: 700 euros
No, we also do not understand how someone with a salary of 100 euros can pay all the bills…
TRANSPARENT OPERATION
We derive our income from our own activities (brunch, quiz, Christmas market, world market, warmest week...), supplemented by donations from individuals, companies, schools and clubs. About 15 people are godparents to a mother or child and donate 30 euros every month. This gives us the necessary security and stability.
To pay for our regular operations in Congo, we are completely dependent on donations and our own income. We also receive subsidies and are supported by the Province of Flemish Brabant, the cities of Scherpenheuvel and Antwerp, World Mission Aid. These grants are used for investments in the construction and furnishing of our house and training center and in new projects.
Vzw Mama Lufuma runs entirely on voluntary work and we want to keep it that way. We therefore consciously want to remain small-scale. Except for some bank charges and a few brochures, we avoid all overhead costs. We pay for travel costs to Congo completely ourselves, not with funds from the non-profit organization!
We have set up a reserve or piggy bank for an amount of approximately one year of operating costs. Suppose for some reason something is wrong with our fundraising or a major disaster happens in Congo, then we have a “war chest” to bridge. So the non-profit organization is… healthy and well!
