Golden GUNGU!

Gungu is a small town in the province of Kwilu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is located 670 km from Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. Gungu is a rural health zone with an area of ​​4,873 km², that consists of one general hospital and 41 small health centres taking care of 228,284 inhabitants. The Centre de Sante la Charité is one of these health centres that serves over 15,000 inhabitants.

The health situation of the population is worrisome. Malaria, AIDS, typhoid fever and diarrhea are common causes of severe illness and death. The Centre de Sante la Charité is a great example of a community centred development (CCD) project because the community rallied together to build the centre.

It all started with the forming of a local association rooted in CCD (the association also leads project in agriculture). From 2007 to 2017 the association raised funds for the purchase of land and construction materials for the health centre. Once built, the association established a model where members and their primary dependents do not pay healthcare bills; however, they do pay for medications. The center pays 10% of profit per month to the association social fund which allows the members to take credit reimbursement (with interest) to invest in other community initiatives. The management committee of the centre is trained in the principles of CCD and they do an excellent job in ‘working with what they have’.

However, medications are always desperately needed. The centre’s pharmacy had not been functional for some time due to lack of basic products-basic products that save lives.

Through our trusted Congolese partner, CRAID, Five & Two was able to help contribute to restocking the pharmacy. The centre is now back to running at full capacity and patients are being properly treated. A simple investment in medications brings back balance to the well-being of the community and boosts the profit model of the health centre. And that is what Five & Two is all about…helping to lift communities out of poverty. The community takes the credit for all their hard work. We simply offered a positive injection into what was already a great thing in progress.