Tragedy On Lake Kivu

One of our boys was lost recently on Lake Kivu during a raging storm. In case you haven’t heard about this terrible loss, here are some details and an update from Désiré, the Patmos director.

Samuel Musirimu, 21 years old, was a well-beloved and highly respected young man. He was nearing the end of his university studies in civil engineering.

Samuel was returning to the children’s village on a boat delivering food and construction materials. He was also delivering the staff payroll. About 3:00 in the afternoon, a severe wind storm struck Lake Kivu.

The boat’s propeller broke and the captain lost control. Somehow in the storm, Samuel fell overboard. Although Samuel was wearing a life jacket, the storm was so fierce that no one could save him. The captain jumped in to try to save him and nearly lost his own life.

The storm swept the boat to an island, where they washed ashore, and they were able to make repairs. After the storm subsided they resumed their journey to the Patmos Children’s Village.

This is a huge loss for our ICC family in the DR Congo. We’ve received word from Désiré that they broadcast by radio the search for Samuel’s body throughout the Lake Kivu region—but the search was in vain.

Please join us in praying for the recovery of Samuel’s body and for the sadness that our children and staff still suffer as a result of loosing Samuel. To make matters worse, Désiré, has told us about valuable construction and other supplies lost in the storm as well as the staff payroll money.

This creates a real hardship. Budgeting is so tight there are no extras included to handle a loss due to such tragedies. Désiré is appealing to his ICC family for help. You’ve been such a blessing to the DR Congo children in the past, éand we thank-you for it. Please support them once again in this tragic time of need.

International Children's Care is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, USA. We can be reached by phone at 800.422.7729 between 8 am and 5 pm Pacific Time. Our address is: 2711 NE 134th Way, Vancouver, WA. 98986. Our general email address is: info@forhiskids.org.

Our Privacy Policy is this: Any information you provide us is held in strictest confidence. At no time will we share you personal information with any person or organization outside of ICC.