Light Up A Village

THE GOAL OF OUR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION IS TO HELP IMPOVERISHED AND DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, AFRICA, BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT BY IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN DEVELOPMENT SECTORS SUCH AS EDUCATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ELECTRICITY, AND AGRICULTURE. "EDUCATION ENERGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR ALL" IS OUR TAGLINE.

THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS WERE CONDUCTED IN 2023:EDUCATION: DR. AVOKI OMEKANDA, WHO WAS BORN IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, WENT BACK TO KINSHASA FIVE TIMES IN 2023 TO TEACH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE CAPITAL CITY OF KINSHASA. STUDENTS SAT IN THE HOT AUDITORIUM FOR UP TO 10 HOURS STRAIGHT TO HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT NEW SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING DISCOVERIES. DR. OMEKANDA WORKED HARD AS A RESEARCH ENGINEER AT GENERAL MOTORS GLOBAL R&D CENTER TO MAKE TIME TO TEACH IN KINSHASA. HE JUGGLED WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS, AND VACATIONS TO MAKE IT WORK BECAUSE HE WANTED THESE CONGOLESE STUDENTS TO GET THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE. GETTING EDUCATED IS A KEY WAY TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE GET OUT OF POVERTY. THE LIGHT UP A VILLAGE (LUV) GROUP HAS PAID FOR DR. OMEKANDA'S TRIPS TO KINSHASA, HELPED LOW-INCOME ENGINEERING SCHOOL STUDENTS PAY FOR THEIR CLASSES, AND GIVEN MONEY TO LOCAL ENGINEERING CONFERENCES. LUV HAS ALSO BOUGHT THINGS FOR KINSHASA'S ISTA UNIVERSITY, LIKE COMPUTERS, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING BOOKS, AND OTHER THINGS. KINDLY CHECK OUT THE PICTURE GALLERY AT WWW.LIGHTUPAVILLAGE.ORG TO SEE SOME LOVELY PICTURES OF LUV EDUCATION EVENTS IN KINSHASA.AGRICULTURE: AGRICULTURE-RELATED ENDEAVORS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED BY THE LIGHT UP A VILLAGE (LUV) PROGRAM IN MPANOKA VILLAGE, WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE BATEKE PLATEAU AND IS TWENTY KILOMETERS AWAY FROM KINSHASA. DUE TO ITS PROXIMITY TO THE EQUATOR, THIS COMMUNITY ENJOYS A CLIMATE AND PLUVIOMETRY THAT ARE EXCEPTIONALLY BENEFICIAL TO AGRICULTURE. THE LUV HAS RENTED OUT 25 HECTARES OF ARABLE LAND IN MPANOKA AND HAS PROVIDED FUNDING FOR THE PLANTING OF A VARIETY OF VEGETABLES, INCLUDING CASSAVA, PEANUTS, TOMATOES, AND OTHERS. RURAL AGRICULTURE, WHICH RELIES ON THE HOE AND OTHER HAND TOOLS, HAS BEEN PRACTICED BY WOMEN FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. THROUGH THE LUV INITIATIVE, TRACTORS WERE RENTED IN ORDER TO MAKE AGRICULTURAL PROCESSES MORE EFFICIENT AND TO BOOST THE OVERALL PRODUCTIVITY OF THE WORKFORCE. IN AN EFFORT TO BOOST PRODUCTIVITY DURING THE DRY SEASON, LUV IS LOOKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDING IRRIGATION PIPES TO WATER PLATS. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED. IN ADDITION, LIGHT UP A VILLAGE HAS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR A PILOT PROJECT INVOLVING BEE FARMING IN ORDER TO GET READY FOR A LARGER-SCALE DEVELOPMENT IN THE YEAR 2024 OR 2025.CLEAN WATER: UNFORTUNATELY, THE VILLAGE OF MPANOKA DOES NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT WATER STORAGE FACILITIES, DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT HAS GOOD PLUVIOMETRY DURING THE RAINY SEASON. CONTINUED FUNDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO UNDERGROUND CONCRETE RESERVOIRS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF RETAINING A TOTAL OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND LITERS OF RAINWATER WAS PROVIDED BY THE GROUP KNOWN AS LIGHT UP A VILLAGE. AT THE END OF THE YEAR 2023, CONSTRUCTION WAS FINISHED, AND AN ASSORTMENT OF IMAGES SHOWCASING THE PROJECTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE LUV WEBSITE, UNDER THE GALLERY PAGE. THE CONSTRUCTION OF GRAVITY TANKS AND ELECTRIC PHOTOVOLTAIC PUMPING SYSTEMS IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE YEARS 2024 AND 2025, WITH FUNDING, PURCHASE, AND INSTALLATION BEING PLANNED.RURAL ELECTRIFICATION: LIGHT UP A VILLAGE HAS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, WHICH WAS PUT TO GOOD USE IN THE PROCESS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) SOLAR ELECTRIFICATION OF A FEW OF LOCATIONS IN KINSHASA, NOTABLY PLATEAU DE BATEKE, AS WELL AS IN THE PROVINCE OF SANKURU. THE SPREAD OF SOLAR ACTIVITIES TO OTHER SURROUNDING PROVINCES, PARTICULARLY IN HOSPITALS AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS, IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE PLANNED. ON THE WEBSITE OF THE ORGANIZATION (WWW.LIGHTUPAVILLAGE.ORG), UNDER THE GALLERY PAGE, YOU WILL FIND A COUPLE OF IMAGES THAT WERE TAKEN DURING THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING STREETLIGHTS. IN THE YEARS 2024 AND 2025, ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES ARE PLANNED, AND THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO ACTIVELY RAISE MONEY.