We arranged a diner for 26 of the kids in the guesthouse where I was sleeping. My tour guide had some connections to landlords who maybe had some property for sale. At first there were a lot of people who did not care about the purpose and just wanted to make money out of a ‘Mzungu’ (white guy).

We almost gave up when Amani’ his old father called. His close Muslim friends had a place we could go and have look at. It was located in a good neighborhood and they asked a very reasonable rent of $890 dollar a year. We told them we would decide the day after and then we could set up the contract.

After this arrangement, we went to search for the kids we saw and brought them to the guesthouse. After eating chips with chicken and salad, we danced and played football. It was a night filled with laughter and joy, the kids had so much fun and the gratefulness they showed me gave me an incredible feeling I had never experienced before. It was really a night full of children simply being children.

From that moment on, turning back wasn’t an option to me and we called the landlord that the deal was ok. Letting them return to the streets afterwards was hard but we were hoping to give them a home in a few weeks time. The contract was signed and the team was formed.

Our Orphanage is located in Goma, this is the capital of the North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. Goma lies only 13–18 km (8.1–11.2 mi) south of the active Nyiragongo Volcano.

Goma’s recent history has been dominated by the volcano and the Rwandan genocide of 1994, which in turn fueled the First and Second Congo Wars. The aftermath of these events was still having effects on the city and its surroundings in 2010. The city was captured by rebels of the March 23 Movement during the M23 rebellion in late 2012, but has since been retaken by government forces.