Friends, a quick update.

Last year you helped us raise €6,103. We used it in full to support four homes in Kinshasa during our July 2025 trip. Mattresses, sunscreen, school fees, household goods. Thank you again.

This year, our approach is changing. Instead of relief that fades after a season, we are building infrastructure that lasts. One pilot home, €12,000, designed to keep producing income and outcomes for years. The full story is in the updated description below.

We are also delighted to share that an anonymous corporate donor recently contributed a significant gift toward this year's pilot. Combined with what our community has raised, we are now at €10,000. Just €2,000 left to fully fund the 2026 pilot.

Sincere thanks to everyone walking with us.

— Divin

What changed and why

Visiting the same homes year after year, we noticed something hard to admit. The relief we brought helped for a season, then the homes returned to where they had started. We were treating the symptom every year, never the cause.

So in 2026, we are doing things differently. Instead of spreading help across many homes for a few weeks, we are putting €12,000 into one pilot home and building infrastructure designed to last for years.

Where the 2026 budget goes

€3,700 — Solar installation by Sekani Tech, our local Kinshasa partner. Reliable electricity for the first time. Includes 1 to 2 years of maintenance.

€2,800 — A water borehole drilled by Hope Drill. Clean water on site. No more daily collection trips.

€1,800 — A small business the home will run. A solar-powered freezer for selling cold water in the neighbourhood. Income that goes back into the home, every month.

€1,800 — An apprenticeship for five to ten older children. Driving school for some, hair and beauty training for others. Real trades, local instructors, certification at the end.

€1,900 — Site-specific work at the pilot home. This year, a bamboo enclosure for the children's safety and privacy.

The pilot home

Orphelinat Ceprokin, in Kinshasa, run by Sister Rosalie. She has cared for these children on a tiny budget for years and has graduated several through secondary school and some on to university. She is the reason this home runs. We are working alongside her, not in place of her.

Where we are now

This page has now raised €16,103 in total. €6,103 from last year, fully spent on the 2025 trip and reported back. €10,000 toward the 2026 pilot, including a generous anonymous corporate gift in April.

We have €2,000 left to fully fund this year's pilot.

What's next

In July, we land in Kinshasa for a full month. Sekani Tech installs the solar. Hope Drill drills the borehole. Sister Rosalie helps us launch the freezer business and begin the apprenticeships. We will document everything and bring it back to share at our inaugural Mission Sowers Gala in Dublin in November.

If you can keep walking with us, thank you.

Plant. Water. Stay.

— Divin and the Mission Sowers team