‘Here in our community, we have become individualistic in our childcare,’ claims Pastor George. ‘Before, the whole community would take responsibility for raising children. But now, we only care for our own children and ignore those of other people.’

Odeth and Emma of APRECOM are leading a good parenting workshop for parents in Bukora. They are using a combination of group discussions and role plays, to help the parents understand God’s pattern for family and make practical changes in how they relate to their children.

The discussion which follows Pastor George’s comment is animated. It’s obvious that the parents have an almost endless capacity for debate, and have strong views on why the community is not as proactive in caring for its children as it once was.

‘It’s because of the numbers of refugees who have flooded into this area,’ says one man. ‘We no longer have the close-knit sense of community we used to have. We would be afraid of interacting with a child we do not know.’

This is typical of the issues that APRECOM’s parenting training is seeking to address. Gradually, things are changing. Parents testify that they are now listening to their children and no longer beating them if they do something wrong. They are starting to build loving relationships with their children and to encourage them to attend the APRECOM children’s group.

In the coming year, Odeth plans to get parents from this group to help start parenting groups in other areas in Bukora, and to share their experience. ‘We have only just started’, Odeth smiles.

APRECOM is doing some extraordinary work in supporting marginalised children and families – especially those affected by HIV. Find out more here.

It’s hardly in the news, but the on-going violence in DR Congo is having a devastating effect. UNICEF reports that 1.3 million people have been displaced by the violence in Tanganyika and South Kivu alone. 800,000 of these people are children.

Displacement from their homes has left the children vulnerable to sickness and malnutrition, not to mention sexual abuse and recruitment into militias.

Please join us in praying for all the children caught up in DRC’s violence. Pray that the unrest will quickly end and that this generation of children will be able to recover from the traumas they have experienced. Please also pray for our partners in Kinshasa and Goma, where the situation is not as extreme but still very tense.