In the remote, rural villages of Congo, having a midwife deliver a baby can be the difference between a healthy birth or Death…. death of the baby, the mother, or both.  That’s why we admitted our first class of students last year to the new 3-year midwife training program at the Miriam Fountain nursing school in Vanga.

That’s also why we find ourselves in need of raising funds for 2 additional classrooms.  We are currently using all 7 of our classrooms the entire school day for the 6045 teaching hours we provide each year.  By the time we admit our 3rd year of midwife students a year from now, we won’t have a classroom for them.  We’ll have to get creative, but the permanent solution is to build more classrooms.

The cost to build one concrete block classroom for 40 students is $34,000; to add the second will take an additional $25,000 for a total of $59,000.   Nothing fancy…. plain concrete floor, no restrooms (we have outhouses).  But in these humble halls, students can be trained to make a distinct difference in the lives of families in DR Congo.

We have a master site plan which includes the placement of the next two buildings.  You can help to make one or both of those buildings a reality…. hopefully soon!   A sac of cement costs $30…and we need lots of them!  How many sacs can you buy for this project?  Or you can “sponsor a desk” for just $1000.   Please click the “Give” button to buy one or several bags of cement or sponsor a desk, and we’ll get the site prepared for construction!

Thanks from the faculty and students of ISTM-Miriam Fountain!  —  Kathy Rice, RN, MS, Vanga, DR Congo