When the DRC team was playing in the World Cup I was cheering for them thinking what an exciting boost that would be for the country and how positive news about DRC would be in the news for once. It could tone down the bad news fatigue we all experience. The team played great but didn’t win it all as I had dreamed of.

DRC is currently experiencing the fastest growing Ebola outbreak on record.

Confirmed positive cases have reached over 4,200 and over 1,900 people have lost their lives.

The virus is moving quickly and the medical teams are trying to catch up with it. The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa took over 8 months to reach 1,000 deaths and now only since March, DRC is approaching 2,000 deaths.

Because it is a new strain, called Bundibugyo, there is no vaccine to prevent it. Clinical trials have started on a new vaccine to address this strain and the first volunteer was injected with it in late July in Oxford, UK. Additional pharmaceutical companies are working to create an appropriate vaccine but it’s a race against time.

Below is a helpful article that gives a great overview of the outbreak and the current challenges being faced on the ground.

Associated Press Article

The Good Foundation works in Beni and Butembo, North Kivu, which is an area where the virus hasn’t hit very hard, yet. The brunt of the outbreak has mostly been north of us in Ituri district. But yesterday our colleague sent us this list saying these were the people who died yesterday of Ebola in the region of Butembo; so cases seem to be increasing there unfortunately.

As an organization we recently distributed handwashing stations, jerry cans for water transport and thermometers to schools, orphanages and churches in our region to help prevent transmission. We have also helped with education regarding transmission of the virus which is still very critical in this area to prevent transmission. If cases do increase in our region we are prepared to help and will hopefully be able to fill in some of the gaps in the response.

Overall the response from the international community has been less than in past outbreaks due to the closing of USAID and less funds committed to international humanitarian response from the US government and other western countries.

Many people we love and care about are being affected by this outbreak. One of our colleagues in DRC has a sick mother who desperately needs to travel to Uganda for specialized medical care but is unable to leave DRC due to the borders between countries being closed. We hope and pray that the virus will slow down its spread so that the medical community can get ahead of it with appropriate vaccinations for prevention.

Photo courtesy of Moses Sawasawa

There is currently an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It started in Ituri province in April but was not diagnosed until a few days ago as the first case was a nurse who died. At his funeral the traditional burial rituals, which is a main path of transmission, were most likely performed as no one knew he was positive for Ebola.

Thus far approximately 543 people are believed to be infected and 136 have died.

DRC has had its share of Ebola outbreaks over the years but this is a new strain to the country, called Bundibugyo. It has existed in Uganda but has not had many outbreaks. This specific strain is quite complicated and is not related to any previous outbreaks in DRC in the past. It is then assumed that it could have been an original animal to human transmission. That is why the health community is late in identifying it and setting up a response. The current Ebola test kits seem to be ineffective in catching this specific virus.

There is currently no evidence that existing Ebola vaccines are effective in this case, so this also means that development will take at least 9 months, maybe more.

The majority of the cases are in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, but some have shown up in Goma and Butembo and even in Uganda’s capital city, Kampala. These are all major cities quite far from the original case.

As USAID has closed, and the CDC is operating at a small percentage of what it once was, primary funding for the response is drastically worse off than at any time before. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) response teams are working, but with a much smaller budget since the US pulled out of the WHO earlier this year.

This is near to where we work and affects the people we work with. The orphanages that we currently support are far away but at risk, so we are working to make sure they are prepared. The Ro’sh Medical Center that we operate has temporarily been shut down for relocation from Beni to Butembo so we will wait for direction as to if we should open at this time or wait. Our colleagues on the ground will attend a coordinated meeting by the WHO soon to see how we can help as the strategic response is currently taking shape. The primary goal is to stop the spread, so we will work quickly to fill the roles we can within the response. We will keep you posted as we know more.

In a conflict that has led the world in the use of sexual violence against women as a part of war, there are so many wounds that take lifetimes to heal. When we brainstorm with our Congolese partners on what to do about it, many times they tell us that the most important part is to stop the immediate cycle of violence. Without physical security, no one can start to repair their lives or to sustain them. Continually we try to find a way to be a part of stopping the violence, since the powers that be show no interest in that.

There are basically about 15 sides to the conflict in this part of DRC, but we can boil them down to 2. The goverments soldiers and the plethora of various rebel groups that fight against each other or together sometimes. Both sides spend a great deal of time acquiring new soldiers, many times when boys and girls are very young. Disease and starvation take the lives of so many soldiers, in addition to the fighting itself. This requires a steady supply of new blood from all the regions they would like to take. This is where we are fighting back, in recruitment.

One of our trusted partners in DRC said this recently:

“Based on my analysis, most young people join rebel groups due to lack of employment. In DRC, for example, the easist way to get rich quickly is through politics, rebellion or becoming a high-ranking army officer. This is done through embezzlement, mining, theft and other activities. Once young people find employment, especially at a young age, they will no longer consider joining armed groups.”

We have watched, over the years, how so many aspiring young people have disappeared “to the bush” to fight, especially when violence has hit their own home. When young people lose siblings, parents or other friends to the war, they feel they have nothing left and need to exact revenge. This is common all over the world, and is exactly why the brutality we see in Gaza, Iran and other countries will horribly backfires on the aggressors as people will only be embloldend to fight with nothing to lose.

Our partner went on to say:

“Furthermore, young people who want to pursue careers in politics or the military tend to join rebel groups because, after negotiations, rebels are often rewarded with political and military positions in the government. Therefore, rebellions facilitate rapid access to lucrative posts.”

Currently M23, the massive Rwanda-backed rebel group, has taken huge areas of eastern DRC. They have recruited from those who are extremely poor, the orphans and jobless youth of Goma, Butembo, Beni and the surrounding cities. This is where we work.

Currently, The Good Foundation is increasing our support to orphanages (many with kids who were orphaned by the rebel fighting recently). We aren’t just supplying direct aid through immediate needs, but also building revenue generating projects that help the orphanages and kids become self sufficient. We are providing opportunities for them to have their basic needs met, which allows them to attend studies, participate fully in school and to learn the skills they need to provide for themselves now and in the future.

We are planning in the very near future to fund startup needs for any youth wanting to start a business or expand their studies/knowledge of skills they already possess so that they can use them to take care of themselves and their future families.

Our desire has always been to learn everything we can about the populations we partner with, and to always be willing to adjust to what real tangible needs exist. In this case, young people in DRC desperately need another option other than perpetuating the horrific war they have been born into.

The following pictures are of two motivated boys in the Goma orphanage with a desire to start a pig business.

Local

Both Global Thrift stores had about 14% growth in net sales in 2025. Huge appreciation goes to the 75 dedicated volunteers and managers who run the stores and are great at what they do! They continue to provide great customer service as evidenced by 11,406 returning customers last year and 5,339 new customers. Our top category of items sold continues to be clothing with housewares as second. We were proud to give new life to 28,830 items and keep them out of landfills. We also were proud of all the other causes that our stores supported both in Denver and abroad.

We hope that this new year will continue to bring increased community and income through the Global Thrift stores.

International

2025 brought much more fighting to eastern DRC so we needed to adjust our programs to ensure that they kept running smoothly and helped those in need. There was unrest near our sheep farm and our shepherds were robbed a few times by rebel militaries. Therefore we decided to plant 4 acres of eucalyptus trees on the land we own for sustainability. If by chance the sheep were to be stolen we could still sell the wood in the future for income.

Unfortunately, a large amount of children were orphaned this year in North Kivu, so the three orphanages that we partner with increased in needs. We supplied food and essential items to them numerous times this year, caring for over 600 orphans as needs arose. In 2026, we hope to initiate and support income generating projects for the orphanages to help provide sustainable income for them and maintain their dignity. The needs are so great and continue to grow as more children show up at the orphanages. Therefore, the directors need to have ways to provide food, clothing, essential items and school fees for all the children in their care.

Ro’sh Medical Center continues to provide much needed medical care to people living in the city of Beni, DRC. The clinic employs 13 full time staff and currently provides all services for free. The patients are just responsible for purchasing their medications. In 2025 we provided care to 526 adults and children with 3 births at the clinic, one being a C-section. 95 of those patients were admitted to the medical center for continued treatment. We shifted the clinic recently to another area of the city where we believe the needs are greater and we can be more effective in the future. In 2026 we hope to expand the capabilities of this clinic to perform surgeries as needed.

And as in past years we were grateful to be able to arrange and cover the costs of specific medical treatment for a few special cases where the procedures were complex and costly. The large increase in fighting across eastern DRC depleted already-struggling resources for complex medical care. Therefore, these specific interventions were life-saving for those who received them.

2026

We pray for peace in eastern DRC in this coming year. The situation is on a cliff, in a way, as external forces from Rwanda and Rwandan-supported rebels are taking large swaths of territory in the eastern part of the country. This means the prospect for peace is quite difficult. Peace talks and agreements are in the works but nothing has stopped the fighting yet.

Our funding is valuable to the situation in DRC currently as we don’t have any restrictions on how we can spend according to need. Since it comes from revenue from the stores and not from grants, it can be spent where the greatest needs lie.

Thanks for partnering with us this past year through volunteering or through shopping at our stores! We look forward to the year ahead and may our work continue to have a lasting impact.

Of every 1,000 infants born in Kenya, 32 do not live until their first birthday.

Therefore, in 2014 a nonprofit called GiveDirectly gave $1000 over three years to over 10,000 low income households in villages across Kenya. Researchers then collected data on over 100,000 births and found a 48% decrease in infant mortality among those families given the cash.

To save the lives of infants and small children living in low- and middle-income countries, there are a handful of tried and tested tools, like anti-malarial drugs, bed nets and vaccines. The results from a massive experiment in rural Kenya suggests another: cash.

Infants born to people who received $1,000, no-strings-attached, were nearly half as likely to die as infants born to people who got no cash, according to a report published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Cash cut mortality in children under 5 by about 45%, the study researchers found, on par with interventions like vaccines and anti-malarials. -Jonathan Lambert, NPR

Read the article here…NPR article.

Find out more about how the cash helped overall….GiveDirectly article.

This is a very interesting and hopeful study as we seek to empower people and lower infant mortality rates across the globe. Hopefully this study prompts future research on this possible life-changing intervention.

What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank is horrible.

Since October 7, 2023, these are the figures of casualties in the conflict:

• Israel- 1,139 deaths

• Palestine- 62,914 deaths

• Journalists- 222 deaths (Palestinian 217, Lebanese 3, Israeli 2)

These are the reported deaths and injuries among Palestinian civilians since May 27:

• 1060 dead

• 7218 injured

• 5000+ needing critical therapeutic feeding for severe malnutrition

There is no scenario in which this would be considered ok. It's hard to comprehend such suffering and death.

An area smaller than Delaware losing this many people during this time frame is unbelievable. We must ask ourselves why this is happening and why it does not generate a stronger response within us and our communities?

The situation is very complicated. Israel is an ally of the US, doing a lot of work that the US doesn’t want to have to do within the complicated battles of the Middle East. The US government has always offered a longer leash to allies that offer a real value to the relationship, and no one has wanted American soldiers in conflict consistently throughout the region.

Many different information campaigns have been used by the Israeli government to generate military and financial support for decades, feeling that it is our responsibility to ensure their state remains stronger than the countries around it. In specific cases, that has meant that we must support the acts that are committed by the US and Israeli militaries in the name of defending themselves.

However, the political entity that is the government of Israel was created within another existing country, by force. Palestinians were driven off their land at gunpoint, forced to move into camp-like structures to live under military rule for generations. In addition, in the 70 years of Israeli political existence, they have failed to abide by any treaties governing the land they could inhabit and have constantly broken international law by continually forcing Palestinians off more and more land.

Currently, the people in Palestine live in a literal wasteland. More than 80% of structures in Gaza have been flattened. Hospitals are barely functioning behind Israeli food and medicine blockades. Nearly 50% of the population is considered malnourished, while Israeli soldiers are murdering civilians waiting in line for limited food distributions from aid agencies.

I think we must ask ourselves if this is what being an American is about. No matter what farcical ties have been drawn by power brokers that want more money and influence, it is never acceptable to supply money and weapons to people openly murdering families that are seeking help. There is no justification. There is no moral relativism that can make it all better.

We cannot be silent about what we are supporting. Our current government is suppressing people who want to speak on behalf of Palestinians. They are locking up protestors and forcing universities to remove students that support Palestine. They have made any negative word about the murdering they are doing about “antisemitism.”

We cannot be silent about genocide. I do not want to look back on my life and say that I witnessed something so horrible happen and didn’t even say it was wrong.

I know many of you personally, and you live your lives in sacrificial, generous, caring ways. I encourage you to continue to speak up for those who currently have no voice. Our leaders need to be accountable for where our money goes and who may be negatively affected by it.

From time to time I believe its beneficial for us to write about situations we see on the ground so that we can collectively grow our knowledge about important things happening in our world. I hope this is helpful and informative and gives you the confidence to speak intently about topics that compel you.

The eastern part Democratic Republic of Congo (specifically North and South Kivu and Ituri districts) has seen so many rebel groups come and go over the last few decades. M14, FLDR and ADF are a few examples just since 2008. Each one of them pop up, take some territory or defend some territory, then they hold peace talks and negotiate something beneficial for themselves (like a government position or some money). Each time, many civilians are displaced, many die or are left with the wounds of trauma and suffering.

Out of the ruins of M14, a new group called M23 came on the scene around 2012. They were the remnants of past groups, but with an interesting addition, Rwanda. This has given the group a couple of things they desperately needed; legitimacy, money/supplies and a deeper end goal. This is why they pose a different, and more damning threat to eastern DRC.

A little backstory on Rwanda first...

Paul Kagame, the leader of Rwanda since the late 90s, was considered a savior in the region. As Hutus slaughtered Tutsis in the Rwandan genocide, he gathered his troops near Uganda and marched his way to Kigali. He brutalized the Hutu groups that were killing Tutsis and he took an authoritative control of the entire situation. It ended the genocide as we knew it and he was praised in the United States. However, the genocide stopped only for the Tutsis and was just beginning for the Congolese.

The Rwandan genocide in 1994 saw hundreds of thousands of Rwandans pour into Eastern Congo seeking shelter and safety. Large camps were constructed and the conditions were terrible. However, Kagame saw an opportunity. With so many of his people (the Tutsis) in Congo it could be a cover for him to conduct brutal operations to be sure that he would maintain an iron grip on not just Rwanda, but the region. His soldiers brutalized North Kivu, maiming and killing across the villages and staking out territorial domination for his people.

Kagame knew two things very clearly. He wanted Rwanda to be the most powerful country in Africa, and that his country was tiny and overcrowded. This created a dilemma for him as he knew he couldn’t accomplish his goals within just the territory that he controlled. He also knew, very clearly, that the war that was taking place in Congo next door was able to weaken the hold the Congolese government (nearly 3000km away in Kinshasa) had on the far eastern provinces. It was a no-brainer for him to see North and South Kivu as future Rwandan territory.

He is a very smart man, though, and knew that he couldn’t push too hard, too fast. As the Congolese government pushed back harder, he could see that the global community wasn’t ready to accept him taking all this land openly in war. Nearly 6 million Congolese had already died and he wasn’t making progress. So, he chose the long game.

In the 20 years since, Kagame has gone on a campaign to win over the world. He has made Rwanda into the “democracy” of Africa. He has an audience anywhere in the western world that he could desire. He is friends with faith leaders and government leaders in dozens of countries. He receives a massive amount of financial and military aid from the US and European countries. He even is a yearly guest at some non-profit leaders’ homes in the Denver area.

Returning back to the current situation, we find an unprecedented amount of upheavals in the eastern part of DRC. M23 has taken Bukavu (capital of S. Kivu), Goma (capital of N. Kivu) and is near to reaching Butembo in the northern part of North Kivu. This is a very large part of the influential areas in the east and more than a rebel group has held in decades.

There doesn’t seem to be a great deal of motivation to have substantive peace talks like the times before, and M23 doesn’t seem to be positioning for the usual “deal-making” that would end the occupation of land. Rwanda has maintained silence, among significant reports of them coordinating the movements of M23 and supplying them with whatever they need. This is unsettling as we know the long term goal is the annexation of land to Rwanda, and the groundwork is definitely laid.

We now see reports of Ugandan military coming in to “bring order” in North Kivu, which has been the way this has happened in the past. Uganda and Rwanda have operated arm-in-arm for years, with the desire to see Eastern Congo taken. It wouldn’t surprise us to see reports soon of Rwandan soldiers “bringing order” by sending in troops that help to escort out the diamonds and minerals and bring in people to take the land.

It is so concerning for those of us that desire to see peace in Congo, especially when it comes to how bad conflicts can get in this area. Women continue to suffer sexual violence when villages are attacked and new generations are traumatized by the extreme violence they experience.

We must reach out in any way possible to encourage leaders of our government, churches, and social groups to take a stand on behalf of the Congolese people and to show Paul Kagame as the fraud and murderer that he is. Too many have died and many more will face terrible futures if he is allowed to execute his plans.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of changes made to the U.S. government, encompassing nearly all aspects of how the government works. Many people have lost their jobs, while others have been given great powers over large swaths of how our daily lives function. No matter one’s views on whether this is good or bad, there are a few changes that have radically reshaped an area of life that we spend our time in; international aid and development.

With the overnight closure of USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), and the immediate halting of funds globally, the shape of how development takes place has been radically altered. In my 24 years of experience in global aid, I’ve never seen something happen that changes the landscape as this does. USAID has been one of largest funders in critical areas of global aid over the last number of decades.

It may not be immediately clear to most people the way that USAID, and state department funding, works around the world. There are hundreds of programs that are funded, in hundreds of countries. Some look as you might imagine; food programs delivering food aid to starving people, facilities being constructed to house refugees and schools being run to keep the momentum of child-learning from ceasing.

However, those are just a few small ways USAID-funded programs look. One of the largest, and the one that brings so much difficulty in this current time, is the funding of medications under PEPFAR (U.S. President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) and its related programs. PEPFAR was created under the Bush administration in 2003 and to date has saved over 25 million lives, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Through this program, millions of people receive HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria medications on a monthly basis. Some people have received them for quite a long time and their lives have been restored through these medications. In the coming days if these medications are no longer available, people will die. I am not being sensational. As will the millions of other people who have relied on USAID funds to help them survive military conflicts, political upheavals, genocides and more. I strongly believe these actions are wrong, on many levels.

Another lesser known role USAID has played globally is funding cocaine-alternative crop growing in replacement programs. This is a direct benefit to drug problems in the United States. In Peru, Columbia and Venezuela, USAID programs have helped grow cacao and other crops on a massive scale where cocaine was grown before. These programs are now shuttered and drug groups see these farms as vulnerable to their efforts to produce more cocaine to sell in the US.

I have been a harsh critic of USAID for decades. Their work has fallen victim to having too much red tape, too many people having too many pieces of authority in every decision, etc. I have always wished they would take a more “beneficiary-driven” approach to aid instead of what worked so well to satisfy their needs within the U.S. government. However, my anger was that they were too closely aligned with U.S. political interests, not that they were not serving the goals of the American public.

The work USAID has been doing had honestly one purpose, and it wasn’t to deliver the best aid to hurting people. It has been to execute programs that would help to protect U.S. national security. By helping to stem the most extreme consequences of global conflict and suffering, they helped to slow the creation of extremist groups that rise up. In funding development programs, it has kept schools going, which makes people less vulnerable to recruitment into radical movements and religious extremism. USAID was not just working as a generous giving arm of the U.S. government. Some have said it was feeding people so that we don’t have to fight them. These decisions made by our government undoubtedly make American much less safe, and much more vulnerable to future attacks, conflicts and hatred.

This decision does not have a direct impact on the work of The Good Foundation as we do not receive funding from USAID as many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) do, but will definitely affect millions of people in areas where we currently work. The vacuum left in all of the hundreds of countries affected will have to be filled, but most won’t. Massive gaps will be left in areas of displacement where people were barely surviving with the significant help of USAID. Also it is projected that hundreds of large NGO’s providing aid around the world could be forced to stop their work without USAID funding.

I think it is a perfect time, no matter the background you may have on USAID and international aid, to read more and gain a deeper understanding. It is essential for Americans to advocate for the things that they believe in and this is something we should strongly push back on if we care about our own security and the lives of people around the world.

At the same time, local movements are popping up in displacement areas and many people are increasing their innovation and ingenuity to find ways of helping their own people. This has been hugely exciting!

For The Good Foundation, we have some really exciting results from our year. We can definitely say 2024 was our most successful year in running businesses in both the US and Democratic Republic of Congo! Thanks to all of you who made that possible!

Here are some exciting highlights from our year:

LOCAL

Global Thrift 1 and Global Thrift 2 are doing great! It has been our best year at both stores thus far!

Most popular day: Saturday

Most popular time of day for shoppers: 2pm

Most popular item sold: Housewares with 11,600 items sold

Total number of transactions at both stores: 26,549

Individuals our team served: 15,000 customers

Total volunteer hours provided by our team: average of 800 hours per month or 9,600 for 2024

Total volunteers who served with us: 74 consistently and 30 periodically

Items kept out of landfills/donated: Approximately 117,300

Total items sold: Approximately 75,000

GLOBAL

We opened the Ro’sh Medical Center in Beni, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo with a model of providing high quality care to all that need it, with patients paying what they are able to pay.

Provided medical screening and care to 609 people at Ro’sh Medical Center in Beni.

Provided water, sanitation, food, school supplies and other essentials for more than 200 orphans in Goma, Beni and Butembo.

Our sheep herd grew to 68 sheep.

We are so thankful for the opportunities we had this year to provide assistance to the people doing the really hard work in tough situations. We are consistently inspired by the sacrifice and bravery of volunteers in the US and colleagues in conflict areas around the world. It's impossible not to feel encouraged that, even in a world that continues to see so much despair, there will be people who give so much so that others can survive!

We wish you a peaceful and hopeful 2025!

As I think of this sweet and complicated time of the year where so many significant and celebrated holidays all fall within a few days of each other, I focus in on the simplicity of it all and what truly matters.

In the book of James, Chapter 1 verse 27, visiting orphans and serving widows is called “pure, undefiled and faultless religion.”

Many of us, including myself, can have a sour taste in our mouths for religion, but “undefiled religion” seems like a breath of fresh air. My faith, at its core, is about extending grace to others as it has been given to me. It is life-giving.

This past week we were so humbled to hear about the needs of over 150 orphans living in the Goma area of Democratic Republic of Congo. These children have all arrived in this area after being displaced in neighboring regions. A woman has decided to help by finding an old building and giving them shelter. She is struggling to provide food and clothing as the number a few weeks ago was only 40 and now has increased to over 150.

We were able to provide clothing and a month’s worth of food to these children and we hope to find more ways to help long term.

I don’t say all this for recognition but I’m just humbled that we were able to help in a way that feels pure. These children have been through losing their parents either to death or not knowing where they are, as they scattered during conflict. We were so thankful to be able to help in a simple way.

Thanks to so many of you who work together with us to make acts like this possible!

Sending wishes to you for a sweet holiday season where the giving and motives are pure. And praying for peace on earth.

A quick internet search will reveal that there has been a rapidly growing presence in Central Africa, especially among the business community, over the last 30 years. China has strategically worked to build strong business ties with African governments. They have offered an alternative to “Western (US/EU)” relationships. In the past, western financing and relationship required that governments modernize, build in stronger civil society reinforcement and protect the rights of workers/citizens. This has been difficult for local leaders, as the structures that support these actions were destroyed in colonial times and have never been rebuilt.

China has come with offer of financing and infrastructure support, with no demands for modernization or for any change at all to government operations. They only request complete access to markets, free reign to build roads, schools and more. They also ask for cultural symbiosis, requiring Mandarin Chinese be taught in schools/universities and that the media establishments promote Chinese peace and prosperity (no criticism of its policies).

As one can imagine, African governments have jumped at the opportunity to quickly receive infrastructure and funding boosts, while not having to put any work into changes within their own country.

No situation has been more indicative of this dilemma than what is happening in the Congo mineral industry. For long, the industry has been plagued with child labor violations, weapons sales, massive corruption and exploitation. Those situations all exist still, however, the true evil of the situation is in how institutionalized and normalized it has become. No longer do you have to be an international pariah to be operating mines in Congo. The Chinese government now owns 15 of 19 cobalt mines in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the remaining 4 soon to be theirs. Cobalt goes into nearly every semiconductor and battery in every phone and car in the world.

At the core of the real issue is the positioning of foreign governments for influence and ownership of rare minerals across Africa. If multinational companies are to continue breakneck growth, the demand for more powerful and advanced semiconductors will have to be met. This requires that governments must get the upper hand on access to the necessary minerals that are crucial to the construction of these chips. This, in and of itself is not necessarily bad. It’s the fact that corporations don’t want to have to pay to have these minerals mined in safe environments while paying fair wages. This cuts into shareholder value.

This is where Joe Biden’s visit comes into focus. Free markets are great, in theory, but governments must have some influence on the ethical decisions of their largest companies. If a nation wants to be known as a force for good, then it must hold accountable its own companies and also strive for accountability for global conditions that affect other humans, no matter if they are their own citizens.

It is also the responsibility of the consumer to change their minds. At some point it seems that the burden will lie on the consumer to be willing to refuse participation in this system any longer. If consumers refuse to buy products that aren’t fairly and safely sourced, then companies will change. Until they do, many of our products will come with the heavy burden of lives lost in many African countries. Our governments and companies can do better, and they should.

We were excited to provide necessary school supplies for 64 children living in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo! As you may remember we were able to provide an orphanage building to these pygmy children last year. The group has grown by about 20 children recently and everyone is doing well. As school starts back in the region on September 9th, we were happy to be able to equip these kids for learning.

Each child received:

- 2 school uniforms

- 12 small notebooks

- 1 school bag

- 1 school supplies box

- 1 pencil

- 1 school slate/chalkboard

- 2 pens

“All 64 orphans are now well equipped to go and start a new school year without problem. And they promise to work hard this school year!”

-Jimmy Mutumwa, Director -The Good Foundation programs in DRC

The Ro’sh Medical Center in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo has been open now for two months and things are going smoothly!

Our first month we provided care to 101 patients and 68 our second month. Forty three of those 169 patients were children.

Malaria, typhoid, urinary tract infections and intestinal parasites were the primary reasons people came to us seeking care.

To build our capacity we purchased an ultrasound machine and are putting it to use this week on pregnant women and as a diagnostic tool.

Currently, approximately 30 percent of our patients cannot afford to pay for our services so we are assisting those patients as necessary. We will not turn away any people who cannot afford to pay.

Our plan is to build out an operating theatre soon by adding additional equipment and a surgical bed. With the growth of the clinic, more staff can be hired and more people can receive high quality medical care in a respectful and caring manner. Stay tuned..

Many years of organizing, staffing, supporting and operating health clinics in numerous complex conflict areas around the world has allowed us to learn a great deal about what seems to work and what doesn’t work. Too many times, even among our best work, we find that the easiest and most convenient ways of providing healthcare to displaced people aren’t always the best way to create lasting impacts on health. From what we have learned, we have built an idea of how we would run the most complete healthcare services if we had the opportunity in the future. Excitedly, we have reached the point where we are able to offer those services most needed, in a way that we are so pleased with.  

Nearly a week ago we were able to open the doors to R’osh Health Center in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In an area surrounded on all sides by fighting, we are able to provide care to people, in a way that brings us great pride. The health center employs 12 staff members, including 1 medical doctor, 6 nurses, 1 lab technician, 1 cashier, 1 receptionist, 1 gardener and 1 hygienist.  

The thing we are most excited about is that this clinic operates on a sliding scale payment system for patients. For those that can afford our care, they pay accordingly. As the ability to pay decreases, what we charge decreases. No one will be turned away or denied care due to inability to pay, and the quality of care is consistent no matter what someone pays.  

Based on our evaluations, the clinic should be able to nearly cover all its costs through revenues generated, allowing for increased sustainability and higher potential for long-term success. It also builds value in the services provided as people choose to invest in their health and see the impacts of their investment. We are also incredibly excited to be able to offer well-paying jobs to a group of dedicated staff in an area with such high unemployment.  

The need for high quality healthcare in this part of DRC is sadly very great. And the need is in no way being met. We truly believe this type of medical center is the future of healthcare in this region and we are excited to see the concept prove itself among this population in Beni. We hope, through this medical center, that many people will receive healing and hope for the future.

The Good Foundation, in partnership with local Congolese businessmen, is set to open Ro’sh Medical Center in Beni, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming weeks. We are very excited about this venture and hope it brings professional compassionate medical care and healing to many people in need in the region.

The medical center will employee 8 medical staff members at the beginning: 1 medical doctor, 4 nurses, 1 accountant, 1 lab technician and 1 receptionist.

As the center gets established we plan to hire a special gynecologist for deliveries, a surgeon and a pediatrician. The center will be open 7 days per week 24 hours per day with five inpatient beds for those needing inpatient care. The compound is quite large so there is plenty of room to add more buildings and services in the future.

The videos below show the progress being made prior to opening. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

For The Good Foundation, as we end 2023, we also feel proud.

We definitely are not perfect people and we are not a perfect organization, but our aim is to use our businesses for good. We are proud of the team both in the US and across the world who have worked so hard this year to do good, both locally and globally.

-We are proud of the 13,312 hours that volunteers have given to run Global Thrift 1 and Global Thrift 2. The profits from these stores fund our work.

-We are proud of the countless hours and heavy lifting people gave to start up Global Thrift 2 in April of this year.

-We are proud of the thrift store managers who have led the team and expanded the dream.

-We are proud of the international staff in Democratic Republic of Congo who have worked tirelessly to help build small businesses.

-We are proud of Jimmy, the DRC team leader, who has managed the farm, cell phone and vehicle businesses, took care of employees and delivered supplies and encouragement as needed.

-We are proud of the staff at Katwa Hospital in DRC for using all resources possible to provide critical supplemental feeding and porridge to 425 severely malnourished children.

-We are proud to provide a proper septic tank/toilet system to pygmy orphans in DRC.

-We are proud of Max, the Bangladesh team leader, for his patience, endurance and bravery in serving refugees in his region from Myanmar.

-We are proud to serve Venezuelan immigrants now living in difficult circumstances in Denver. Our stores were able to provide much needed clothing to multiple families.

-We are proud to provide gift cards to single mothers in the Denver metro area so they can shop for essentials for their families.

-We are proud to have invested over $26,000 into small international businesses among displaced people this year.

Our pride though is lined with sadness and uneasiness. We are very aware of the suffering in the world, outside our doors and on our devices.

The world seems to be more of a mess than ever. There is so much unrest and war; people are fighting and dying. So many people are ending this year displaced from their homes and just trying to survive. It’s heartbreaking and honestly I don’t know what to do with it most days.

We pray for peace in the world. And we keep going, setting goals and solidifying our resolve.

We believe that we can improve the health of vulnerable populations by creating sustainable livelihoods through economic empowerment.

In 2024, we plan to expand our outreach locally and globally.

In Denver, we plan to grow our businesses to generate more revenue. We plan to add more volunteers and serve more people in need in our community.

In Beni, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo we have rented a compound and plan to open a medical clinic in early February. It will employ 8 staff members and serve the local population along with providing supplemental feeding to malnourished children.

In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh we plan to start one or two small businesses among women refugees from Myanmar.

So as we end this year and start another one, we are so thankful for all those who have contributed to serving so many brothers and sisters around the world in 2023. We rejoice in the hope we see in others and we are so privileged to play a small role in their lives.

Thank you for your support!

As you may remember, last year we were able to build an orphanage building for pygmy children in North Kiva, Democratic Republic of Congo. The staff and children moved in months ago and are very thankful for their new living space. About 6 weeks ago we were made aware that over half of the children in the orphanage were suffering from diarrhea and many of the children were becoming weak and sick. They were using an old latrine on the property that was full and unable to be fully cleaned and sanitized.

We were happy to be able to respond.

So over the past few weeks we have watched, from afar, the crazy hard labor that has gone into building, in my opinion, the most exquisite septic tank with three toilets and one shower room, that has ever been built! There have been periods of waiting as the rains pounded the area and also periods of waiting due to the drying of hand poured cement. I am happy to report that this week the children have begun using the toilets and shower room and are very thrilled about their new digs!

Preventing diarrheal disease never looked so good. Yay for healthy and happy kids!

Today is World Refugee Day! For the past 22 years this day has been set aside to honor those whom have been forced to flee their homes. These people represent the amazing strength, courage and resilience of humanity. They are survivors.

At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, climate change, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. The category of forcibly displaced includes refugees, internally displaced people within their home country, stateless persons and asylum seekers. Read more here.

Globally, 20 people every minute are being forced to leave their homes.

Let us recognize today that each person was created in the image of God and has value.

Honoring displaced people is very personal and important to me. Serving this population has been my job and passion the past 20 years. Some of my dearest friends are refugees. In addition, my in-laws were refugees that fled to the US from Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge genocide. My husband was born in the US just after they arrived here. I have witnessed first hand the determination to survive such harsh conditions and the passion to provide for your family at all costs. I have slept in refugee camps in various countries and felt honored to be among such determined people. It is humbling.

Please join me today in reaching out to show care to those refugees you may know and pray for those who today are in the midst of such difficulty.

United Nations Article

Voice of America Video

UNHCR Statistics

The soil in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is some of the most fertile in the world, so why are people starving? Poor governance, corruption, fighting among rebel groups and inflation are just a few of the many contributors to malnutrition in eastern DRC.

In 2023 it is very difficult to understand how children can still be dying of malnutrition, especially on a continent so rich in natural resources.

Two weeks ago we were able to start a supplemental feeding program for malnourished children, and a few adults, through Katwa Hospital, North Kivu, DRC. This program was operated by another non-governmental organization a few years ago but they lost funding and were unable to continue operating it.

Then last week we lost two children. They were too malnourished and frail. It is tragic. We are hopeful this program can help.

There are essentially two categories of feeding for malnourished children. Therapeutic Feeding is for those who are severely malnourished. At this stage the children desperately need formulas known as F-75 and F-100. These powders are mixed with water and are only accessible through governments. It is a very scientific process to administer these formulas so it must be done under medical supervision with well trained staff. Such Therapeutic Feeding programs are usually started in areas of long term disaster or displacement due to famine, etc.

The second category called Supplemental Feeding is for those who are mildly or moderately malnourished. A special porridge or nutritional supplement, called PlumpyNut, can be added to the children’s normal diet to boost their nutritional needs. PlumpyNut is also distributed by the government and resembles a PowerBar or protein bar. Read more about PlumpyNut here. Unfortunately, in eastern DRC there is no current access to the F-75, F-100 or PlumpyNut products due to corruption, mismanagement of resources by the government, and apathy within the international community.

The past few weeks we have been providing supplemental feeding through a porridge each morning to between 40 and 50 patients in Katwa Hospital. The majority of those we are helping are children, but there are a few adults who also meet the criteria. The criteria is based upon a daily height and weight that a nutritionist conducts on the patients. The nutritionist then takes the height and weight and makes the porridge based upon standards set by the World Health Organization. The porridge we are providing for these patients is composed of a special ratio of sorghum flour, soybean flour, wheat flour, maize flour, rice, milk and sugar. In addition, the patients receive vitamin supplements to help fight off diarrheal diseases and help them absorb the nutrients in the porridge.

We are glad to be able to help in this way and already we are seeing improvements in the height, weight and overall health of our participants. Unfortunately, there are many people not receiving the nutrition they need at this time in this region. Therefore, we believe the program will expand as word spreads about our services.

In the fall of 2021, when we moved toward the funding model that solely relied on revenue, it was a risky step. We dared to dream big because of our team, and we are thankful that we did!

After 10 years of running Global Thrift 1, in the Denver metro area, last Saturday we opened Global Thrift 2.

It was a very busy few weeks leading up to the opening of the second store as there were so many tasks to accomplish. The work was physical and mental, requiring hard work by all. We only had 17 days in the new space to set up prior to the opening day. At times I was concerned as to if we would get it accomplished, but when the team showed up, the work got done!

The old saying holds true- Many hands make light work.

Our Global Thrift stores are volunteer-driven stores creating revenue to support our international work. All profits go into improving the health of vulnerable populations by creating sustainable livelihoods through economic empowerment. This equates to jobs and improvement in health care in the countries where we work. Both stores are powered by amazing volunteers, over 60 strong, who gave of their time, creativity and physical abilities to recently remodel our first store and set up our second.

We are humbled by their hard work and dedication!

May our stores continue to be a blessing to our community and around the world, and be a testament to how people can band together to be a force for good!

Many, many thanks to all involved!

Opening Day Video