When Distance No Longer Kills: Kizela 2 Community Health Care Site Restores Hope For Families

In Kizela 2, a village located about 15 kilometers from Kitangua Center in Kasai Province, falling ill was often a source of anxiety for parents. To access primary healthcare services, families had to travel nearly 8 kilometers to Kamatoma Health Center, the nearest health facility. This was a considerable distance for households living in conditions of extreme poverty.

Before the arrival of the Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge Project (RHCC), implemented by a consortium composed of World Vision, Rotary International, and PATH, with funding from the Gates Foundation, many sick children did not receive the care they needed in time.

Some children even lost their lives while traveling to the health center because of the long distance. The costs associated with healthcare services and transportation were also major barriers for families.

This situation also affected vaccination activities. Whenever vaccination teams arrived in the village and identified children showing signs of illness, they were often required to refer them first to the health center before proceeding with vaccination. This delayed planned activities and limited children’s timely access to essential health services.

A major turning point came in February 2026 with the establishment of a community care site in Kizela 2 under the RHCC project. For residents, this initiative marked the beginning of a new reality: quality, accessible, and free healthcare services close to their homes.

During our visit to the village, we met Mayelu LUMU, 37, who had accompanied his three-year-old son, Ngoma KITEMA, to the care site to receive the final medicines in his treatment.

Mayelu still remembers the challenges parents faced before the care site was established: “Sometimes, when a child became sick during the night, parents had no choice but to walk all the way to the health center, even in the rain, in an attempt to save the child’s life,” he recalls.

Today, things have changed. His son is among the many children who have benefited from the services provided at the care site.

“My child Ngoma became ill around 8:00 p.m. This time, I took him directly to the village care site. He received the medicines he needed and, as you can see, he is feeling much better now,” Mayelu explains with relief.

According to him, the impact of the care site is visible throughout the community. Severe cases of childhood illnesses have decreased thanks to the prompt treatment children receive as soon as the first symptoms appear. Families are also saving significant amounts of money on transportation and healthcare costs.

“One day, I paid 45,000 Congolese francs, about 20 US dollars, to have my child treated at the health center. That expense seriously affected my household economy, especially since it was not the first illness in the family. Today, I can breathe easier. The care site is close to us, and the services are free,” he testifies.

For the people of Kizela 2, the care site represents far more than a simple service delivery point. It has become a cornerstone of primary healthcare in this rural community, strengthening the early diagnosis, treatment, and referral of children suffering from childhood illnesses, thereby reducing the risk of death associated with delays in care.

Mayelu expressed his gratitude to the donors and implementing organizations: 

“We sincerely thank the donor and all the organizations involved. This initiative is a great support to parents and helps save the lives of our children.”

Through this intervention, the RHCC project clearly demonstrates how bringing healthcare services closer to communities can sustainably transform the lives of rural populations.

To date, the project has established 552 community care sites across 16 Health Zones in Kasai Province, enabling thousands of children to access essential healthcare services quickly and grow up healthier. The project aims to establish at least 810 community care sites across nearly the entire Kasai Province.

As part of this effort, Gabriel Mukoloka, GAINS Program Director, and Bob Ibrahim, RHCC Program Manager, conducted visits to several operational community care sites as well as locations identified for the establishment of additional care sites.