Quick background: Since January, more than 7,000 Congolese have died because of the attracts by Rwanda-backed rebels who are trying to capture the mineral-rich land in this region of the DRC. In addition, more than 450,000 people are displaced without shelter, food, or water, and 40,000 people have escaped to neighboring Burundi.

The situation today: I spoke to our founder, Mama Gorethy, today as I have most days since the attack. Here is the latest:

In the early days of the attack on Bukavu (where Mama Gorethy and her family live), the rebels passed through but did not enter Mudaka (the smaller village where our schools are). In the chaos of the attacks, however, desperate looters emptied our sewing school of everything inside. This is a tragic loss, but the outside of the school is fine, and, as soon as it is safe to do so, we will rebuild what we lost inside.

All is fine at our primary school for girls. None of our employees, students, or families were injured in the attack. And while everyone is unsure of the future and nervous, things are calm at the moment. Everyone in the area is living under rebel rule, which places restrictions like curfews and what language can be used in public. The banks are closed, so this will bring other problems we’ll need to deal with in the near future.

Thankfully, we were able to send money for two months to our staff, so they are secure, as is the money for supplying breakfast and lunch to our primary students.

Currently, our newest class of sewing school students is meeting and talking about business and the theory of sewing, while our primary all girls’ school is back to normal — or as close to it as we can get under the circumstances.

What happens next: We don’t know. But we will be there for our students and staff as we respond to what the next weeks and months bring. If you’d like to help, read on below.

Below are two photos that capture the moment as of today: On the left, our sewing school after the looters emptied it. On the right, Mama Gorethy today, meeting with our students at the primary school.