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Missionaries Profile

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mission challenges: recovery from civil war and continuing conflicts with rebel groups, leadership training, evangelization of less reached groups, holistic ministries

Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Languages: French and English (both official), Lingala, Kituba, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.

Name of nationality: Congolese

Land area: 875,525 sq. mi.,(2,267,600 sq. km.), slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Population: 62,660,551 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

Capital: Kinshasa

Niles, Wayne and Katherine Niles Wayne and Katherine


Wayne is helping Congolese grow more food to make a living. He is part of a team of missionaries and Congolese Christians implementing a development project which will serve most of Congo.  Among other activities, the project distributes new seeds, disease resistant varieties of crops, and offers women's groups small loans to purchase machines for hulling, milling, and producing oil.

Katherine is working with a group of Congolese Christian professionals in training community leaders, urban and rural, to be promoters of health in their communities.  The staff of a church-related health center in Kinshasa is also using her expertise to make their medical ministry more holistic as they care for urban poor people.


 


Languages used in ministry: French, Lingala, Kituba, and Kikongo.