{"id":61914,"date":"2026-04-30T19:34:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaziospadoni.org\/repubblica-democratica-del-congo-africa-progetto-1-di-72\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T11:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:06:32","slug":"democratic-republic-of-the-congo-africa-project-1-of-72","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/spaziospadoni.org\/en\/hic-sum\/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-africa-project-1-of-72\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic Republic of the Congo \u2013 Africa | Project #1 of 72"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sister Jacqueline \u2013 Kavimvira (Democratic Republic of the Congo)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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PROJECT 1 OF 72<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"HIC<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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MISSION<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Location<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kavimvira<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Diocese<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uvira<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Country<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Continent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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GPS coordinates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-3.35207 29.15180<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Time zone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UTC+2<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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CONGREGATION<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Congregation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missionary Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Gemma<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mother House<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camigliano Santa Gemma (LU)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Diocese<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucca<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Country<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Continent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Congregation feast day<\/p>\n\n\n\n

26 August<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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GPS coordinates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

43.86272 10.61067<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Time zone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UTC+1<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Contact person<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline, Sister Audacieuse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mother General<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Elisabetta Giussani<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Website<\/p>\n\n\n\n

suoresantagemma.it<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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TRAINING ORGANISATION<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Name<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misericordia Santa Gemma Galgani<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Location<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camigliano Santa Gemma (LU)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Country<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Continent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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GPS coordinates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

43.86621 10.60469<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Time zone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UTC+1<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Start date<\/p>\n\n\n\n

04\/09\/2020<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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End date<\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 2021<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tutor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catia Di Nardo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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REAL SPACE<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Project manager<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Audacieuse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Start date<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 2023<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Type<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutting and sewing<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\nOPERA M – PROJECT M1<\/span>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Works
Volunteers in Uvira and Kavimvira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Bread of Mercy will strengthen one of the many activities already carried out within the community of the Sisters of Saint Gemma: cutting and sewing, with particular emphasis on producing sacred vestments through the art of embroidery. Sacred vestments are not widely sold in the village of Kavimvira, and purchasing them requires travelling dozens of kilometres. In December 2023, a young woman qualified in cutting and sewing was sent to Bukavu to attend a six-month specialist course in embroidery. At the end of the course, the sisters will employ her in their foyer, where her specific task will be to produce embroidered sacred vestments.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sister leading the HIC SUM project is Sister Jacqueline of the Missionary Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Gemma. In 2021, immediately after returning to Kavimvira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she began forming a group of spazio + spadoni inhabitants \u2014 now more than 30 \u2014 who join her in carrying out\u00a0Works of Mercy\u00a0and who adopted the name \u201cMisericorde Sainte Gemma \u2013 spazio + spadoni\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kavimvira is a village in South Kivu, on the border with Burundi and Rwanda. The situation is highly unstable because of continuing civil wars and reprisals aimed at claiming territories rich in resources such as gold and coltan.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Portrait
Sister Jacqueline<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The sisters\u2019 community, located between the rebel-controlled mountains where the clashes take place and Rwanda, is a point of reference for the many wounded people who can receive care and relief at the dispensary run by the sisters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sisters\u2019 facility in Kavimvira is self-sufficient. They have clean water from a nearby spring, which the local sisters and priests connected to the buildings through internal pipes. They also have a 5,000-litre tank that they fill with purchased water and rainwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 80 to 100 patients visit the dispensary each day for medical consultations. In 2020, the population of the health district for which the dispensary is the referral centre was 19,488.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common conditions are malaria, respiratory infections, parasitic and waterborne diseases, sexually transmitted infections, AIDS, tuberculosis, leprosy and malnutrition. The dispensary has 42 beds, three observation rooms, a delivery room and a postnatal room. Its services include consultations, hospitalisation, surgery, maternity care and assistance for patients with AIDS and tuberculosis. The dispensary also provides treatment for malnutrition<\/strong>, organised as follows: on Thursdays, it sees children whose health condition is moderate, currently 124; on Fridays, it sees the most serious cases, children at risk of dying, currently 67. However, the waiting list exceeds 200 children. It is not possible to care for all of them because of insufficient food resources; whenever a child recovers, the waiting list moves forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mothers of malnourished children are given food supplies for 15 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the dispensary, there is also a FOYER<\/strong> containing a cutting and sewing school that awards a highly prestigious qualification recognised locally and valid for opening a workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 29 September 2021, Sister Jacqueline founded the Association des Volontaires Misericorde Sainte Gemma \u2013 spazio + spadoni with the support of the local parish priest. The initiative began with nine volunteers and now has more than 30 within a structured organisation. Their apostolate is to perform Works of Mercy in Kavimvira and the nearby villages. Sister Jacqueline provides spiritual guidance to the volunteers, reminding them always to place the face of the suffering Christ at the centre of their work. In October 2022 and February 2023, a volunteer from the Misericordia di Santa Gemma undertook a missionary experience in Kavimvira, bearing witness to the twinning established between the Congregation and the Confraternity. Sister Audacieuse currently oversees the volunteer group because Sister Jacqueline was transferred to a community in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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31.08 | Start of the relationship<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Sisters of Saint Gemma and the Misericordia Santa Gemma join the HIC SUM project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"
Start of the missionary relationship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Meeting
Meeting with Luigi and Gloriosa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Initial
Start of the HIC SUM project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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04.09 | Start of the project<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline begins her training at the Misericordia Santa Gemma<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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01 | First funding disbursed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The funding is intended to purchase the materials required to set up the social enterprise<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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01.02.03 | First-aid course<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline attends the first-aid course at the Misericordia Santa Gemma, supported by her tutor and trainer Catia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"First-aid
First-aid training<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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04 | Specific HIC SUM training<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline receives specific training on the social enterprise and on how to apply the knowledge acquired once she returns to the Congo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"HIC
Training HIC SUM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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10.08 | Sister\u2019s departure<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline receives her missionary mandate and returns to her community in Kavimvira, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Moment
Mandate and missionary departure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Moment
Mandate and missionary departure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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20.09 | Recruitment of local spazio + spadoni inhabitants<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline identifies and trains several spazio + spadoni inhabitants with whom she begins performing Works of Mercy in Kavimvira and the nearby villages<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Recruitment
Recruitment of volunteers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Recruitment
Recruitment of volunteers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Recruitment
Recruitment of volunteers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Recruitment
Recruitment of volunteers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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2022<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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27.01 | Online HIC SUM training<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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20.20 | Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Paolo, a volunteer from the Misericordia di Santa Gemma, undertakes a mission experience in Kavimvira, accompanied by Mother Elisabetta and Sister Marina<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s first journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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November | Activity report by spazio + spadoni inhabitants and the Works of Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Update on the activities of spazio + spadoni inhabitants in promoting the Works of Mercy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2023<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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01.02 | Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Paolo travels to Kavimvira for the second time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paolo\u2019s
Paolo\u2019s second journey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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01.04 | Activity report by spazio + spadoni inhabitants and the Works of Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Update on the activities of spazio + spadoni inhabitants in promoting the Works of Mercy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Inauguration
Inauguration of a house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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04.09 | Activity report by spazio + spadoni inhabitants and the Works of Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Update on the activities of spazio + spadoni inhabitants in promoting the Works of Mercy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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29.11 | Second funding disbursed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This second grant, which completes the first one disbursed in January 2021, was used to cover the cost of the specialist embroidery course for the young woman who will work in the Kavimvira foyer. A young laywoman qualified in cutting and sewing begins a specialist embroidery course in the city of Bukavu. After completing it, she will work in the foyer of the Sisters of Saint Gemma in Kavimvira. The objective is to produce sacred vestments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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01.12 | Activity report by spazio + spadoni inhabitants and the Works of Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\"Cebaca9b
Cebaca9b 499b a98e 92dbfa48a238<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Symbolic
Symbol of the HIC SUM project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Launch
Launch of the social enterprise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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2024<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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20.03 | Activity report by spazio + spadoni inhabitants and the Works of Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Update on the activities of spazio + spadoni inhabitants in promoting the Works of Mercy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"2024
2024 Congo Sister Jacqueline Works of Mercy volunteers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"2024
2024 Congo Sister Jacqueline Works of Mercy volunteers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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December | Transfer of Sister Jacqueline<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sister Jacqueline is transferred to a community in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. Sister Audacieuse will continue the project with the spazio + spadoni inhabitants in Kavimvira<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2025<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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05.03 | Activity report by spazio + spadoni inhabitants and the Works of Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Update on the activities of spazio + spadoni inhabitants in promoting the Works of Mercy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Works
Volunteers in Uvira and Kavimvira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Works
Volunteers in Uvira and Kavimvira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Project evaluations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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All evaluations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n