Other Projects

The Art of Courage raises funds for The Tchukudu Kids Home and The Jonathan Holiday School, however, there are many other projects growing alongside us. Important projects such as schools, women’s centres, medical clinics and farming projects are underway in the surrounding communities. Even though we aren’t directly raising funds for these projects we still share resources and support them in any way we can!

Tchukudu Women’s Training Centre

Founded in 2014 by Cathy Cleary; friend and collaborator with Heather Haynes.

Located in the city of Goma in the same compound as the Tchukudu Kids Home and the Jonathan Holiday School, the TWTC is a place for women fleeing the war in their villages to develop the skills needed to support themselves and their families.

We work with women who have lived through the horrors of war, sexual violence, hunger, and the loss of family and friends. The training centre welcomes women wanting to learn new skills in sewing, tie dyeing, and entrepreneurship. Sewing is our biggest program and we have graduated 64 women to date who have begun 8 cooperative sewing businesses. 25 women are currently in training and many more are waiting to join. Over the last year we have been able to purchase a piece of land to grow food for the women and we have built a retail outlet where the women can display and sell their creations. Click here to donate directly to TWTC.

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Permaculture

Land was purchased originally on Idjwi Island to grow food for the children. Later came the purchase of more parcels of land, with buildings (now medical clinic and home for a doctor). The land provides food for the children and, recently, a new plot was purchased to grow food for the women’s centre. Our partners Cura For The World believe that one of the staples in health management is nutrition. They sent our main leader Kizungu to learn about permaculture in Tanzania. We hope to implement many of the things he has learned with support from our partners over the next year.

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Routes Academy

Inspired, sponsored and supported by Vicky Pearson (family) and Routes Adventures.

Currently under construction, with hopes to have the doors open for students in September 2020, is a 6 room school on our land on Idjwi Island. Some of the most impoverished people from the Congo live here. The opportunity for education is very limited here on Idjwi. The Routes Academy will provide free education for grades 1-6. A temporary, make-shift school has been built and is currently educating 214 children in grades 1-2.

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Pygmy Village on Idjwi Island

The Pygmy people have had a long history of discrimination throughout the world. There is a village of Pygmies that live close to our land on Idjwi Island. Heather has had the opportunity to meet them three times in the past. The first project we supported was a donation from Bev Brooks of 100 garden hoes to help the villagers cultivate land. The next project created after Heather and Michael Holiday visited the village was to help supplement nutrition with food donations once a month from sponsors Clark Day and Bev Brooks. The community is building up their strength and health, which is helping to provide a better opportunity to connect with the outside communities. This community will be supported by our new medical clinic and school when they are up and running later this year.

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Medical Centres

We have 2 medical centres that have been built and are preparing to open the doors. The clinics will help support our children, women and surrounding community. The clinics were funded by our supporters and partners: Vickers Clance and Cura For The World. We have applied for a grant in order to outfit and open the doors of the clinics to provide free healthcare to the communities.

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