ibaka

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum hosted the fourth anual Serge Ibaka Foundation Charity Gala benefiting the Foundation and Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe’s Sewing for Hope Foundation. The Gala gathered 700 hundred people from Oklahoma and other parts of the country and the World, including Sister Rosemary that came all the way from Uganda.

“The first year we had less than 200 people and now 700! To see how we have grown and the support that the Oklahoma community has given us is incredible“, said Serge. “I am blessed to have the opportunity to partner with great people to help many children in Congo and Africa“.

The Foundation executive director, Pere Gallego,  expressed his gratitude for all the support. “All our partners, sponsors and donors are genuinely interested in helping Serge’s and Sister’s Foundations and we feel blessed for that. The Oklahoma community is always behind us and we will work to grow even more in the future”.

                                 Photos by JP Wilson and Zachary Beeker.

Serge Ibaka surprised four Oklahoma City single mothers and their children with a shopping spree at a local Walmart. Serge understands what it’s like growing up in a single parent home and has a big attachment to a community that has embraced him since the year 2009. Serge also blessed the moms with gift cards and acknowledged how difficult it is to raise kids alone.

Serge encouraged the kids to do their best in school and in all activities and to always obey their moms. He also told them to dream big and follow their passions, in accordance with the Foundation’s motto: “Anything is possible”.

 
                                 Photos by JP Wilson and OKC Thunder

In the 2015 documentary “Son of the Congo”, filmed during the summer of 2014, Serge Ibaka encounters a young congolese basketball player named Ricardo. Serge becomes Ricardo’s role model and inspiration, and gives him a powerful piece of advice: “don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make your dreams come true. Anything is possible”. Ricardo took this message to heart, and one year later, in the summer of 2015, the two reunited and shared specials moments in Brazzaville, their shared hometown.

In his most recent trip back home, Oklahoma’s KFOR with Lance West travelled to Brazzaville with Serge and documented his reunion with Ricardo, amongst other charitable activities by the Foundation.

Serge gave Ricardo a pair of adidas basketball shoes – which he longs for in the documentary -, basketball shorts and a Serge Ibaka Foundation t-shirt. But, more importantly, he encouraged him and his family and offered support and advice, hopefully leaving a mark for life on this young kid, another son of the Congo.

Watch the “Son of the Congo” documentary trailer:

The Serge Ibaka Foundation wanted to contribute to the students start of the 2015-2016 school year in Kinshasa, DRC, and organized a giveaway during two days. The boys and girls from different grades and ages of 10 different schools in the area received 20.000 notebooks. The donation was welcomed with enthusiasm by the students. Erick Kibonge, one of the Foundation’s managers in Kinshasa, noted that “this boys and girls are excited to see that someone cares about their education and show their happiness and gratefulness when they receive help. Activities such as this one help inspire them and realize that education is very important for their future“.    

The list of schools visited was: École Primaire Amour et Liberté in Masina, École Primaire Saint Marc in Kisangani, École Primaire Sainte Thérèse in Ndjili, École Secondaire Saint Martin, École Primaire Don Bosco in Petro-Congo, Institut Molende in Matete, École Primaire Kauka in Kauka, Complexe Scolaire Bimanzak in Bumbu, Saint Antoine in Selembao and Complexe Scolaire Mbamba.

Located in the district of Kimbondo on Mont-Ngafula in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kimbondo Pediatrics, Orphanage and Hospital is home to more than 800 orphans who have received a second chance. Created in 1989, the Pediatric exists to take sick children, abandoned, orphaned, deprived of livelihood, in order to give them medical care and education.

When in the summer of 2014 Serge Ibaka was visiting Kinshasa and was told about the existence of the Kimbondo center, he had no doubt he had to take action. He visited the center with his friends from NBA Africa and the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Together they met founder Father Hugo, toured the facilities, spent time with the boys and girls and delivered a truck full of food supplies. A strong emotional connection had been made, and it was obvious that help was still needed and that they would come back, year after year.

The story of Kimbondo Pediatrics, Orphanage and Hospital began when a pediatrician from Chile, Father Hugo Diaz Rios of the Community of Claretian Missionaries, and a retired university professor, Dr. Laura Perna, decided to create a simple structure to accommodate sick children. Starting from scratch and with nothing but their immense generosity and a dream of providing free health and other care to some of the DRC’s most vulnerable children, Dr.’s Rios and Perna saw patients in a small room with minimal examination equipment and medical supplies. Nearly 25 years later, through much perseverance and struggle, Kimbondo Pediatrics, Orphanage and Hospital is now one of Kinshasa’s major child care center.

Today, the hospital alone houses separate general care, cardiology, tuberculosis, emergency and blood transfusion units. It also has a radiology department and laboratory. The orphanage is home to more than 800 children, most all of whom were abandoned. More than 250 suffer from a host of ailments, including malnutrition, severe physical disabilities, HIV-AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. While most residents of the orphanage range from several day old babies to 18-year olds, the doors are always open and Kimbondo often cares for sick adults.

Despite Dr. Hugo’s dedication and hard work and that of his staff and volunteers and their medical interventions, the mortality rate at Kimbondo is still too high. In addition, the physical capacity of Kimbondo and its limited financial and human resources make it difficult to not only care for the current number of orphans, but to also help address growing needs.

This is why, one year later, in the summer of 2015, Serge Ibaka came back, this time with the already established Serge Ibaka Foundation and, again, with the Starkey Hearing Foundation and, for the first time, with the Water is Life organization. The kids and Father Hugo received the big group with excitement and singing songs, and the group spent quality time with the kids. Bill Austin and Tani Austin joined Serge in the welcome ceremony and father Hugo received from Serge and inspirational poster as a gift for the center.

The Starkey Hearing Foundation set up camp in the outside area, and did a long hearing aids session with all the kids from the center, providing a support much needed. The Water is Life organization provided water straws, making available a healthier first necessity for the children. The Serge Ibaka Foundation brought toys, clothing and Foundation T-shirts for all the kids and, before leaving, delivered once again a big truck filled with food supplies. It was another emotional and caring visit and yet, just another part of the big puzzle of help that these kids need. The support and effort of the Serge Ibaka Foundation will continue during the year and -there is no doubt- in next summer visit.