As a child who had to flee war and civil unrest in Ituri province, Jemimah Kabagenyi has a heart for children living in the Democratic Republic of Congo today.
“This cause means a lot to me as I have personally experienced the trauma of fearing for my daily existence,” Kabagenyi says. As a child growing up in Bunia, violence and instability left Kabagenyi and her family fearing for their lives on many occasions. Eventually, her family fled to Uganda for safety, though she still has many relatives back in Bunia, in Ituri province. In 2008, Jemimah came to Canada.
Still, the situation in her home country is still very much on her mind.
“These same genocides have persisted today and many are being massacred, murdered, raped, sexually abused and displaced from their homes,” she says. Jemimah and her family made it out alive. Others were not so fortunate.
“My main focus is on the children that have lost one or both parents due to this genocide,” she says. “They are traumatized and living on the streets in Bunia and other places scared of being killed at any moment.”
Not Forgotten’s humble beginnings
Fast forward to 2017. Jemimah began sharing these stories with her close friend, Nadia Tchoumi (Stewart) and together they began praying about it.
“I’ve always had a heart for nonprofits. It’s just something God put on my heart from an early age,” Tchoumi says. Whether it was volunteering to clean the church sanctuary or helping women find the clothing that made them feel confident during an interview or advocating for Black journalists, Tchoumi has a history of serving and leading charitable organizations across Canada.
Jemimah’s aunt, who still lives in Bunia, also felt the burden to help the street children left fatherless and motherless. After sharing the vision with her, both Jemimah and Nadia began sending small amounts of cash back to the DRC in the winter of 2017, as Jemimah’s aunt secured a place to rent and began welcoming street children.
“They are traumatized and living on the streets in Bunia and other places scared of being killed at any moment. The children go days or weeks without any food and water and other basic essential needs,” says Jemimah.
One by one, we began welcoming children and young mothers left widowed. There are now 17 women and children living in the home.
“When we first started praying for and supporting these children, they were in pretty rough shape,” Nadia recalls. “Clearly suffering from malnourishment and failing health, it was obvious they needed someone to care for them. Since 2017, God has faithfully provided for this mission and, by His grace, we’ve been able to do just that.”
Making it official
In 2021, Jemimah and Nadia officially launched Not Forgotten Global Missions Association, with a passion for supporting children who’d lost everything: their homes, their parents and their freedom to live normal lives. Registered as a nonprofit in British Columbia, Canada, the pair are now working to develop stable funding and programming for the children.
“Our pastor always says that when God gives a vision, He gives provision,” Nadia says. “Every month, God comes through for this organization in wonderful ways.”
The pair are working on launching a social enterprise, Forget Me Not, to help raise money for the mission in Congo. There are also plans for a mission trip in 2021. The long term goal is to build and establish a home for these children, where they will be cared for and fed, and their tuition paid for, so they can go to school and further their education. Through partnerships, Jemimah and Nadia hope to be able to cover the cost of their tuition at African universities. Children at the Not Forgotten home will also have access to trauma-informed counselling services.
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