Bernard Balibuno and Emmanuel Mufla, two of the founders of Sowers of Hope, grew up in Panzie, located in the eastern region of DR Congo. After the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, their village was turned into a refugee camp. Some of the people in the refugee camp were, in fact, Hutu rebels that had participated in the killings that were committed during the Rwandan Genocide. These criminals caused enough trouble to have the entire refugee camp disassembled. During the scattering of the refugee camp many children were left behind as orphans. Bernard and Emmanuel, along with many of their close friends, could not stand by and let these children simply die.

With little money, and some help from students in America, Bernard and Emmanuel’s vision of creating an organization that would care for the orphans of Panzie turned into the creation of a small school. Emmanuel started an elementary school, and the first class was held in 2001inside a house left behind to Bernard as a wedding present.

For the past 9 years, Sowers of Hope–Bukavu has been run by these Congolese locals. It is also a registered non-profit with 501-c3 status in America. We continue to pursue the vision of bettering lives through self-sustainability.