KULUNGU CORPORATION

Kulungu Corporation, A not-for-profit Corporation

 

Kulungu Corporation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Maryland. The purpose of our organization is to conduct charitable activities to benefit the citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Africa.

 

Mission

 

Our mission is to improve and promote the quality of medical care, education, and the lives of human beings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

 

Healthcare and Life in DRC

 

Poverty is still a major problem in Congo, where two-thirds of the population live on less than 1 dollar (USD) a day. With a population of 105 million people in 2024, an estimated 70 percent do not have access to healthcare. Less than a quarter of Congolese citizens have access to proper sanitation facilities and fewer than half of Congolese citizens have access to clean water. Additionally, the DRC has a limited and insufficient number of hospitals to serve the growing population and most hospitals are poorly staffed and equipped.
 

The DRC is faced with having to respond to numerous public health challenges. The greatest threat to health in the DRC is Malaria with 97 percent of the population living in zones of high transmission and acting as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. According to WHO, 407 cases of polio infection were reported between January 2022 and May 2023 alone. Measles outbreaks in the last 4 years have spawned over 300,00 reported cases of measles, leading to more than 4,000 deaths. UNAIDS reports that an estimated half a million people are living with HIV/AIDS infection as of 2022. Almost half of infant deaths in DRC are linked to malnutrition and lack of proper diet. According to WHO, almost two-thirds of Congolese children lack essential Vitamin A. Transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and bilharzia are prevalent because of lack of clean water. Being among the 5 poorest countries in the world, 62% of Congolese live below the poverty line according to World Bank. Furthermore, the on-going conflict in the eastern region of Congo has led to an estimated 4 million orphans among a largely displaced population. Several NGOs and WHO are fighting tirelessly to deal with vast numbers of public health and humanitarian challenges, but Kulungu Corporations aims to do our part.

 

Current Projects for the Nonprofit:

 

• Construction/Establishment a of major research hospital in Kinshasa, capital city of the DRC.

  • Cost: 80 million USD

• Providing food, clothing, equipment, and medicines to orphanages.

• Providing medicines and equipment to local hospitals and clinics.

• Funding projects to train surgical technicians to help with the insufficient number of surgeons in rural areas of DRC.

• Funding projects to increase access to clean potable water.

• Fund seminars in areas of conflict resolution.

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In 2023, Mr. Bienvenu Kulungu, CEO of Kulungu Corporation, travelled to the DRC on 6 occasions to consolidate Kulungu Corporation’s mission. During these visits, Kulungu Corporation was able to donate bed nets, medicine, medical equipment, and clothing to orphanages and clinics in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr. Kulungu was also able to donate communion cups to churches in the community. Kulungu Corporation was also able to leverage medical supplies donated by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland to local clinics in the DRC. These clinics were served with the necessary medical supplies which have helped save lives of numerous Congolese. Kulungu Corporation has provided food and clothing to orphanages and bed nets were distributed to people in communities in need. The organization has also paid bills for patients who could not afford their care. The organization also provided training and seminars in areas of conflict resolution to pastors and people in the communities.

 

Future Activities for the Nonprofit:

 

Kulungu Corporation is currently in the planning stages of several projects. At this time, Kulungu Corporation has not begun its fundraising campaign in the United States, and as a result, is not certain what the size of their budget will be in 2024. Once Kulungu Corporation has begun fundraising, they will use the estimated size of the budget to make further strategic decisions regarding the priority of their planned initiatives. Of note, many medical supplies donated by Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital are still pending shipment to the DRC. Resources are needed to fund the shipment of these crucial supplies.

 

Kulungu Corporation plans to work on these projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo directly, as opposed to giving money to other organizations. These projects will be carried out by volunteers or by employees of Kulungu Corporation. These activities will be conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These activities will help improve the quality of medical care in the region by providing clinics with more resources to treat patients by improving sanitation in the region and by providing food and clothing to orphans in the region. These activities will be funded by contributions to Kulungu Corporation, and all of Kulungu Corporation’s time will be devoted to performing these activities including the on-going construction of the hospital.

 

Planned projects include:

 

• Continued development of a major research hospital in the DRC.

• Shipping medical supplies provided by Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital to the DRC.

• Providing food, clean water, and equipment to orphanages.

• Providing medicine and equipment to local hospitals.

• Training surgical technicians for rural areas.

• Working on clean water projects in rural areas.

• Fund seminars in areas of conflict resolution.