Zapenda Relief Fund for Goma

We are Zapenda, an African-inspired clothing brand with a mission to provide employment for talented African garment makers. Our production facility is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province. This is an area where thousands of families are vulnerable to food insecurity on a regular basis due to decades of instability. 

Over the weekend, thousands of people had to flee their homes after lava erupted from Mount Nyiragongo, one of eight volcanoes located between Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. According to NASA, this particular volcano has the world’s fastest flowing lava. The last time the volcano erupted was in 2002 and left half a million people from Goma displaced.

The current volcano eruption came without much warning and has left the city of Goma in turmoil. People left their homes with little to no possession in search of safety in nearby towns. Many families have landed in the nearby city of Bukavu where Zapenda is headquartered.

Unfortunately, there is little public infrastructure to support such a crisis. We are working with our team on the ground to identify families who are in need of emergency assistance. So far, we know that there are many and more on the way.

Part of our mission is to support the people of Congo and that is exactly what we will continue to do. We know that people of Goma are resilient and we acknowledge that this is an extremely difficult time for them. A little help can go a long way. 

We continue to pray for congo AND we to put our money where it is needed most.

ASK:

We are asking for your contribution to our emergency relief fund to help support Congolese families who have been displaced from their homes in Goma. In the immediate future, the funds will be utilized to assemble and distribute emergency care packages for the most vulnerable families affected by the volvano. These packages will include a month supply of food, clean water, cleaning products and Zapenda reusable masks for a given family. Each care package costs about $50. The more we raise, the more families we can support! 

Donations of $50 or more will receive a special gift from Zapenda.