DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | FEB. 03, 2023 — Children of Martyred Missionaries in Danger
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO — Children of Martyred Missionaries in Danger
The four orphaned children
Islamic militant groups have declared parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under Islamic law, and militias have kidnapped, enslaved or killed Christians.
In October 2014, Islamists attacked a town where Pastor Kanyamanda and his wife, Odette, served as local Christian missionaries to a remote tribe. The militants killed 19 people in the neighboring town, then traveled to Kanyamanda’s and Odette’s village. There they tricked Pastor Kanyamada into leaving his home, killed him, and then went inside to kill Odette. Odette had hidden their children before she was taken, and all four of their children survived. Fourteen additional villagers, mostly members of the couple’s church, were also murdered in that attack. VOM has helped provide for the surviving children and their adult caregivers, but they live in an area that still experiences occasional militia violence.