When we were in Tshikapa, Congo in September 2008 we met with the gentlemen on the far left in red, Pastor Komuesa. Together with our help, he secured these three brick presses that will help to continue construction there. They will also serve to create jobs for men who can make and sell these bricks.These brick molds are helping Kalonda Bible Institute to become more self-sufficient. Current students are contributing a day a week to make clay bricks by hand using these molds. The bricks will be sold to the Mennonite Church of Congo for use in its Welcome Center construction project.
To purchase and transport these presses to the site where they will be used was about $900. I believe they were probably purchased in the capital city, Kinshasa, and shipped to Tshikapa, probably by boat.
Brick presses are not flashy, nor exciting, nor meaningful. But they are creating jobs, which is exciting. They are building spaces where relationships can be built, which is meaningful. They are a small part in a big work. This is what Hope for Congo looks like.
